Tainted Heart
by fleets
Summary: What led to Vaati's obsession with ultimate power? Would he still have become evil had circumstances been different? Perhaps his story of his life as a Minish holds some answers. Please see full details in profile.
1. Reminiscing

fleets: So...I finally decided that I needed to get this story out. Forget about waiting for my current project, The Unresolved, to finish because I think having this story will slightly enhance TU. Of course, updating this story will be highly erratic and most likely extremely slow because my main priorities will lie in finishing TU first. Keep an eye on it though.

Anyhoo, I know lots and lots of people have already written stuff about pre MC Vaati's past stories, but I wanted to do a take of my own because no one had quite the same idea as me. I don't think he was bad to begin with but changed little by little until he finally snapped. Somehow, I can't really buy into the whole "Vaati was a shy somewhat antisocial kid" because then it's hard to believe the transition into "womanizing Vaati" later on (well, I guess some people don't see him as a womanizer but I do so I needed my own explanation). I also needed an explanation as to why he's so obsessed with power...especially because in my other two stories he's unreasonably obsessed.

I also think there was more to it than simple bullying 'because of his looks.' There needed to be something more for such a complex character I imagined up in my head. Therefore, this story spawned.

Though you don't need to read my other stories (Beyond Centuries, The Unresolved) to get this and vice-versa, please check them out if you like what I write because I'm going to refer to some quotes in this story in them (I actually already included them in BC and a little in TU because I'd anticipated writing TH when I wrote them). And now, enjoy. :D

Disclaimer: Nintendo owns everything Zelda. I own this story-line.

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**Chapter 1: Reminiscing **

I find it interesting that people believe that the concept of friendship escapes me. Me, an evil wind mage who cares for nothing and no one, whose only concern in the world is to gain power.

While that is not entirely inaccurate in itself, it makes me seem so simple minded. It's so stereotypical it's boring, and I'm quite far from boring thank you oh so very much.

Then again…there are days I wish I could be boring. There has been more than one occasion that I nearly drove myself mad trying to turn myself into a simple, boring, evil villain.

Because you see, I did have friends at one point in time. It makes me sick to the stomach to even think the word now but I'd be lying to myself if I said I never had any. I genuinely cared about them, had meaningful conversations with them, spent time together, and shared stories. Do you know why I hate them now? Do you? Do you know why I despise those pathetic connections you call 'friendships'? They can turn any hardened heart vulnerable, and when they're crushed and splintered to nothingness they can savagely rip out your soul.

Who needs friendship when you've got yourself to rely on…

I learned everything the hard way. I had to lose everything I had to finally gain what I have today – the knowledge that I alone have the power to direct my life. I'll never wait nor rely on anyone. I'll never be betrayed because the self can't betray the self.

Sometimes though, I encounter certain characters that break cracks into my beliefs and threaten to topple my values. I hate them from the depths of my heart. Among these I hate Link the most. That boy is so naïve and so oblivious that at times he inspires pity. Truthfully I think a part of me is scared of him because he reminds me too much of the boy I had once been. I catch glimpses of who I could have been had I been under different circumstances. Goddesses, am I just glad that I didn't actually turn out to be like that fool.

I wonder…do I know who I really am? I am a scheming villainous criminal who's out to obtain ultimate power. If my own self identity is causing me so much bewilderment I'd be glad to take up this boring little label. I'll only have to do one thing to reinforce this identity in my mind:

Kill Link.

So there we go. I'm a villain, and all I'd have to do is kill Link and become the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Ha, no more identity crisis for me.

No…there's more to it that that. That definition fits that obese pig for Farore's sake, and I'd rather not be paired with the disgusting Gerudo. I doubt he even has the same high level of sophistication I have to think about the things I ponder.

So if not that, then who am I? I think…I think I've never actually tried to confront this issue before. I've been told I'm good at hiding things from myself and twisting the truth so that it turns into something I want to hear. Perhaps it's about time I go back and look at my repulsive past as a Minish. My mind hesitates…but no…no. I'm not going to back out this time. I think I'll take a look at the origins of my greatest motives – after all, motives reveal al lot of things about a person's true character. My greatest drive is my pursuit of ultimate power. I've come to the point that I've lost track of the reason why I'm after ultimate power. Is it…respect? Ha, if that were the case I'd lose respect in myself simply because that implies I don't have any respect right now, and I know that's not true. Look at all the creatures I can command with a small snap of my fingers. If that's not fearful respect I don't know what is.

I guess it all began with that wonderful cap. I remember the day well…but wait, that wasn't where it had all begun. It was when I had met Ezlo, the old geezer. It was under him that I had learned that the greatest things happen only when you do it yourself. That lazy fool never did anything let alone notice me. According to him I probably never existed until I took it into my own hands to become somebody.

…

No.

It had been…even before that. It pains me to recall this humiliating memory. I would claim that they're not really mine because of the fact that Vaati the Minish died the day he took possession of the wishing cap, but…

I can't deny that the memories may still affect me, stupid things. I wish I knew a spell to cause self-induced amnesia to rid myself of them.

…because Vaati had a friend then. A friend who he was convinced he'd be a friend with for life.

How funny. Come to think of it, little Vaati's wish had been granted. Little Vaati _had_ been able to be a friend for life because they had both died on the same exact day. How's that for luck?

I ended them both. That's right, I killed them. Little Vaati has me to thank for making his wish come true.

So let me begin where Vaati the Minish meets his friend for life. I just might be able to see who I really am better than before and maybe even come to terms with the memories enough that I can forget about them. I need to forget about them.

Because…I had a friend then.


	2. Nice to Meet You Weirdo

fleets: So I felt bad about leaving you guys with just that one really short intro chapter, so here's the second one to get things started.

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**Chapter 2: Nice to Meet You Weirdo**

His ears heard the bell ring and he picked up his pace. _Dang, first day of school and I'm going to be late_, he thought bitterly. Vaati scampered over the pebbled path and made a sharp left into the blades of grass to take a shortcut to the school. Forget about messing up his clothes: he'd rather make it on time with the rest of the kids instead of have tons of awkward stares directed at him when he walked in late. He was going to have awkward stares anyway, but he might as well decrease the number he knew he was going to receive. New kids always got the awkward stare treatment.

Why did Miss Britta make him go to school anyway? If he'd wanted to learn something he could have managed perfectly well by asking the older kids at the orphanage, which was technically everybody because he had been the youngest one there. Oh wait…right, the goal wasn't about learning. It was about 'meeting kids his age.'

"_Vaati, you're going to go to school starting next week." _

"_What? Why Miss Britta? I can just learn here like I've been doing since…since forever!"_

_Vaati watched the middle-aged orphanage caretaker shake her head and chuckle. "I agree that you can learn everything you want about math and writing right here without taking one step outside. BUT – " She held out a finger to stop the 8 year old Minish from leaving. "BUT…you only learn the most important things in life by spending time with peers."_

_Vaati frowned. "Ugh, Miss Britta, kids my age are so boring to talk to though." _

"_I don't think so young man. You've never really met anyone your age so you wouldn't know."_

"_Can't I just let Glen teach me everything?"_

"_Glen is ten years older than you and by next season he's leaving the orphanage for Holodrum to work."_

_Vaati's heart sank. "…Glen's leaving?" Glen had been the person Vaati would go to for advice, for help, for fun and games…he couldn't imagine him gone and so far away. He'd never really considered the possibility of the older orphans leaving once they were ready to work and make a living in the world. He'd imagined everyone he knew to stay with him forever. It was a depressing thought. Glen had been like a brother. Wait…_

"_Glen was more like your brother, Vaati, not a friend your age," Miss Britta said, practically reading his mind. She stood up and pat him on the head. "Don't worry about it kiddo, just give school a chance. I'm sure you'll make wonderful friends." _

Vaati stopped and peeked around the stalk of a flower to look at the school before he walked in. Some other late stragglers were just going through the doors. _Oh good, I'm not the last one_, he thought in relief and scurried over to blend in with the rest of the late group. He was glad he had said goodbye to Miss Britta before they had come in sight of the school. Boy, that would have been embarrassing; he wasn't a baby who needed mommy to hold his hand. Well, it had taken quite a lot of convincing to get her to leave earlier – that was mostly the reason why he was almost late.

He followed his fellow tardy kids into the classroom and stood by the corner of the room because he didn't know if he should sit. Most of the students seemed to know where they were assigned. _Should I stand here until the teacher comes? But that's so awkward! Maybe I should just sit somewhere random and…ugh, but what if someone busts me out because it had been their seat? Great, now everyone's sitting down and I'm the only one standing. And…yup, here comes the staring. So much for trying to avoid the staring. Who's actually not looking at me? Anyone? Anyone? Of course not, I'm the NEW KID._

Vaati fidgeted, overly self-conscious of his every move. He didn't know where to look because it seemed that everywhere he looked he would meet a pair of curious eyes. Uncomfortable, he finally resorted to looking at his feet.

He noticed a large rip in the side of the bottom of his poncho. _Just what I need, a tear in my clothes. _It was then he realized the green stains he had gotten on his clothes from squeezing around through the grass forest. _Even better, I look like I have bug throw up all over me._

"Are you perhaps Vaati Rimer?"

Vaati felt a soft hand tap him on the shoulder and he audibly squeaked from surprise, generating a few sniggers from the class. He whirled around and bumped his nose into the person who had addressed him, and he hurriedly jumped back and bobbed his head in apology.

"It's ok to be nervous. I know I was on my first day of school." The Minish teacher was still young. She had her hair clipped back in a tight bun and she walked to her desk with a pencil in her mouth and an armful of textbooks. She dropped the books onto the desk. "You may call me Ms. Tutari. I heard from Miss Britta that today is the first day you've ever gone to school?"

Vaati nodded.

"Well in that case," she clapped her hands together. "Let's everyone go around and introduce ourselves. Make sure you include one interesting fact to share for everyone to remember you by. Yes Delta?" She asked a slouching Minish who had raised his hand. Though he appeared to be one of the younger students in the room (perhaps the same age as Vaati) he held himself with an air of supreme confidence. Vaati could just tell he was the typical troublemaker.

"Do we have to? We all know each other."

"Yes Delta. You may all know each other but Vaati here is new to this school. Let's give him a warm welcome."

Delta shrugged and whispered something to the boy sitting next to them. Vaati knew he was definitely going to come to hate Delta in the months ahead. Heck, he disliked him already.

From prompting from Ms. Tutari, Vaati snapped to attention. Right, he needed to introduce himself. This shouldn't be too bad. All he had to do was say his name and say something interesting about himself. Hmmm…something…interesting? Uh oh.

"My name is Vaati Rimer and uh, I uh…I…crud…hold on." Vaati could feel his face start to burn up in a bright shade of pink. He began to feel nervous with each second that ticked by. All those expectant faces looking at him wasn't helping either. "I'm Vaati. I'm Vaati and…and…. Hm."

"Don't think too hard on it Vaati," Ms. Tutari said reassuringly. "It doesn't have to be anything amazing. It can even be something as simple as saying your favorite color." She smiled warmly. "Anything we can learn about you. Just say the first thing that comes to mind."

First thing that comes to mind huh? That's not difficult at all! He began again with renewed confidence. "My name is Vaati Rimer and I want to sit down."

There was a burst of laughter from the room and it was then that Vaati realized how ridiculous he had sounded. _Oh geez_. He shrunk down into his shoulders and knew he was beet red from the burning sensation around his cheeks. He'd been so nervous that he'd really said the first thing that had come to mind, which was that he'd wanted to sit down instead of stay standing in front of the class. _Ok, now I REALLY want to sit down._

"Of…of course," Ms. Tutari stammered. She took him gently by the shoulders and guided him towards a seat by the window. She gave him a worried glance to make sure he felt all right. "What is it?" She asked after she saw Vaati's lips quiver from whispering something. The noise of the kids' laughter carried his voice away.

Vaati bit his lip. "I didn't mean…I wasn't trying to be funny or…or rude to you but it was just that you told me to say the first thing that came to mind and the first thing that came to mind was – "

"Hush," she smiled, stopping him in the middle of his rambling outburst. "Everyone makes mistakes when they're nervous. I'm sorry I put you in the spotlight today." She walked back to the middle of the class and raised her voice to get the class's attention. "Who wants to introduce themselves next?"

XXXXXXXXX

Vaati didn't really remember the rest of the introductions after that because he had been too absorbed in his earlier embarrassment. He mentally kicked himself for screwing up so much. The other kids would tease him relentlessly for sure.

After the introductions were over with, Vaati vaguely remembered Ms. Tutari handing out books to each student. He'd been happy he was going to finally be able to own his own books for the year instead of having to borrow them from the older kids at the orphanage, but he'd been a little disappointed when he realized how elementary they were compared to what he had been reading. _I came here to meet kids my age, not to learn_, Vaati told himself over and over again. At least the arithmetic had looked challenging. Glen hadn't really taught him that yet.

Vaati sighed. It was recess now and he didn't really know what to do. He didn't know anyone to hang out with yet so all he was doing now was stand by himself in the shade of a lone blade of grass trying to figure out what to do. It was very awkward. That word was becoming his theme today.

Maybe he should make the effort to talk to someone. People were usually nice once you got to know them. That was the first step – he needed to meet people. Vaati clenched his pale little paw into a fist of determination. That's it! He would say hello to the first person he bumped into.

"Hey, you seem fun. Let's get to know each other."

Vaati perked up. Someone wanted to be his friend? Wow, things were looking up already. He turned around with a grin on his face. "Sure! I'm…" he hesitated. The person who had come up to him was none other than the last person he had wanted to talk to: Delta.

Delta returned his own grin, but it wasn't anything Vaati would've describe as 'friendly.' Delta was surrounded by most of the kids who had been in Vaati's class this morning. Vaati had a bad feeling that Delta's followers did not come here to be friends. He had a hunch that Delta had gathered them to see the entertainment show he was going to set up with Vaati as the star.

"You're Vaati who wants to sit down," Delta smirked, cocking his head towards his audience to prompt some giggles. Vaati remained silent, refusing to show any signs of discomfort. Delta continued. "I don't think you remember me from class though."

"I do."

"Yeah, but I should introduce myself again." Delta took a step forward so that their noses were almost touching. Vaati stayed put, knowing that if he backed down he would just let the jerk run all over him. There was a fleeting look of annoyance on Delta's face before he broke into smiles again. "My name is Delta Esen. Some interesting things about me are that I don't have creepy eyes, I don't have weird skin color, and I don't have girly hair." Delta stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you, weirdo."

This was going to be a long school year.

* * *

fleets: I swear this will not be the stereotypical 'bullied childhood' story (even though it looks like it's going to be one). IT'S NOT!!!  
I tried to keep the Minish names ending in '~lta' or '~ari' because that's what most of them tend to be. They also have meanings, too. Like, Vaati's last name Rimer is just the letters of the word "good wind" in some language that's rearrranged a bit. Delta is "change" (which won't make sense right now) and Esen is also "wind" in Turkish (or so I've heard).

And now (yawn) I need sleep...badly.

**Darkwind: **Hello! Thanks, and don't worry about it! I'm glad to hear you like my stories - that's good enough news for me! :D

**Velk: **I pity Vaati too...

**Astral S. Kepeire: **Yes it worked! It's hard trying to write for someone who's supposed to be smarter than you, but I guess I got the sophistication part down. That's good to hear. :D


	3. Dealing with a Jerk

fleets: I apologize if it's taking a while for the story to get going. If you're feeling impatient, believe me when I say I am as well. Ugh, introduction chapters bore ME. Thanks for your patience, and I hope things will become more interesting in the next chapter. And AGAIN: this may seem like a typical bully story but I swear I swear I swear that it won't be.

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**Chapter 3: Dealing with a Jerk**

Vaati stared at the hand Delta had offered, glanced at the other watchful eyes on him, and then looked at the Minish boy in the eye. If he took the offered hand he would be taking Delta's insult with it. Therefore, Vaati stuck to staring the other boy down.

After several minutes, Delta pulled back his hand with a look of disgust on his face. "Not very friendly, are you? I don't think I was ever refused a handshake after introducing myself." Delta turned and addressed the other kids gathered behind him. "Did you see that? He wants to be a loner. Don't bother trying to be friends with _this_ loser."

Vaati grit his teeth and tried to hide the fact that his bottom lip was trembling. He hadn't expected Delta to be able to alienate him so well. He now realized that whether he took the handshake or not, Delta had set him up so that he came out as a wimp accepting the insult or a loser who didn't want to be friendly. _I don't believe it. What does he have against me? I never did anything wrong…_

"What kind of a name is Vatee anyway?" Delta asked, purposely contorting his name. "That's such a weird name."

Vaati continued to stand in silence, afraid to speak a word lest he gave Delta another opportunity to make fun of him. He found himself backing up against the blade of grass and curling up around the shoulders as Delta managed to gather some collective jeering from some of the onlookers.

"Lookit, his hair's a funny color," someone piped up, pointing out Vaati's odd pale purple hair from the normal browns and reds. Delta used this to encourage laughter.

"And long like a girl's! Hey Vatee, why do you grow it long like that?"

"Can he even see anything through that hair? He's a walking mop!"

Vaati didn't think of himself as a crier, but he felt some moisture pooling around his eyes. The last call wasn't even a reasonable thing to attack him for: sure his hair was a bit longer than normal but he'd seen some other Minish have something that was close to his length. Confused and hurt from the negative attention he was receiving on his very first day of school, he almost began to cry. Almost. He bit his lip hard in a snarl to hide it.

Delta decided to continue picking on him about Vaati's abnormally colored red eyes. He leaped over to a shy looking girl with his teeth bared. "Look how red his eyes are. Watch out, he'll probably go and eat you when you least expect it! He's snarling at you already."

The girl nervously giggled but played along with Delta. It was hard to tell if it was out of fear of the bully or if she was getting a kick out of butchering poor Vaati as well, but the miserable boy didn't really care. "Eek! Red eyes! He's got the evil eye!"

"Run away!"

"Hey wait, let's play a game. We can play Monster Hunter! We'll be the hunters, and Vatee can be the monster. Vatee, do you want to play?" Delta turned around with a nasty little grin.

Vaati froze up. He was pulling the same handshake trick on him again. If he refused now he would just be giving Delta more reasons to keep everyone from trying to be friends with him. _Why don't you want me to be friends with anyone Delta? _Vaati wanted to ask. _What did I ever do to you?_

Instead, Vaati gave one slow nod.

"Great! run off now, we'll come and hunt you." Delta gave him a thumbs-up and started to organize the other kids into teams as Vaati ran as fast as he could out of there.

XXXXXXXX

That afternoon, Vaati lay face down in his bed, his head stuffed against his now tear-stained pillow. He could hear Miss Britta knocking on his door outside, asking if he was all right and where he had received the bruises and mud spots along his arms and shoulders. He felt bad about ignoring her and locking himself in, but he didn't feel like talking about his day.

After he had run from Delta and the rest of his classmates he had hid himself behind some rocks. He knew things weren't going to end well when he had first felt a dull pain on his shoulder and felt mud splatter all over him. After the first mud-ball had hit, dozens more had followed from every angle so that he had had no place to duck and recover. Not knowing what to do, Vaati had given up standing and had fallen on the ground with his hands over his head to protect himself.

"_Aww, he's down already."_

"_Vatee, come on, monsters are supposed to be vicious. Play your part."_

"_This is boring. It's no fun hunting a weak monster."_

"_Yeah, let's go play something else. Vatee, you'd better stay away."_

And that's what it had come down to. Delta had still managed to make him out to be some boring, unfriendly loner who hadn't been interested in making friends. The only comfort he had had from the experience was that not everyone there had decided to take part in Delta's 'monster hunter' game and only two or three other kids had decided to join. Still, he had lost almost all confidence of fitting in after today's experience at school.

Vaati heard Miss Britta walk away from his room. He cried a little more freely now that he knew no one could hear his sobs. Always a little prideful he resented crying, but some days it just felt good to let it all out and break down in his pillow. He had held it all in while he had still been at school: he had been determined to not give Delta the luxury of seeing him cry.

He let himself calm down after he was done, and he sat up gently and sat hiccupping quietly on the edge of his bed. He reached over his bedside and picked up one of the books Ms. Tutari had given him. Some mindless reading would get him thinking of something other than what had happened today…

There was a knock on his door. "Vaati? Hey, are you alive in there?"

Vaati looked up from his book but stayed sitting where he was. After a while, he went back to flipping through the pages without really paying any attention to the words. There was another knock, this time a little more insistent.

"Vaati…can I talk to you for a sec? It's Glen. Miss Britta's been worried about you." There was a pause as he waited for Vaati to answer. When there was only more silence, Glen continued. "All right Vaati. If you don't open this door and prove you're still alive I'm claiming the right to pick your door open. You're killing everyone with worry."

Vaati grinned a little despite himself. "Glen, I bet you don't even know how to pick locks."

"I bet you I can." Glen sounded relieved to hear Vaati's voice. "Come on Vaati, please let me in."

"Pick the lock and open the door yourself."

There was an audible sigh from the other side of the door followed shortly by metallic clicks in the bolt. In a bit, a young freckled Minish walked through the door with his arms spread wide. "See? Told ya I could do it."

"Wow." Vaati awed, impressed. "Where did you learn how to do that?"

"A friend of mine in Holodrum taught me." Glen walked over and sat next to Vaati. Vaati hung his head in disappointment.

"Is it true you're going to leave the orphanage?"

Glen put a comforting hand on Vaati's shoulder. "Yeah…I can't stay here forever. I need a job, a new home…a new life. " Vaati said nothing and sat staring at his feet rocking back and forth along the bed. Glen remained patiently quiet as well and watched the distraught younger boy who wore an expression of dismay. "Vaati, you've been crying," Glen remarked after some time. Vaati shook his head, but the older boy wasn't convinced. "Your eyes are red."

"They've always been a weird red," Vaati said bitterly.

"Vaati what happened to you today?"

Vaati clammed up and tensed. Finally, he whispered quietly. "Everyone at school hates me."

"…What makes you say that?"

"Are you kidding me? I don't think you haven't noticed these blue spots on my arm?!" Vaati held out his arm so that the bruises from the mud-balls that had been thrown at him were more visible. Glen let Vaati rant on. "The kids decided it would be fun to throw mud at me! They hate me, especially that one kid named Delta. He got everyone together to make fun of me!"

"Who is this?" Glen asked, his face full of concern.

"Delta. His name's Delta Esen," Vaati mumbled. He took a deep breath and began to tell everything that had happened at school that day. He talked about how uncomfortable he had been when he had arrived to class, how he had made a fool of himself during introductions, how boring the class seemed compared to what he had been learning at the orphanage, how Delta had distanced everyone from him, and how the kids had thrown mud-balls at him. During the story, Glen's expression became sterner but he kept quiet until Vaati finished. When Vaati was done, Glen shook his head in disbelief.

"Does Ms. Tutari know about this?" He frowned when Vaati told him she didn't know. He sat thoughtfully and seemed to be thinking of something, and then he appeared solemn after reaching a conclusion. He stood up while giving Vaati a comforting pat. "Try not to worry about this too much. We'll figure something out for you." Vaati stood up and followed him a few steps towards the door.

"Glen…I don't want to go to school tomorrow."

Glen stopped and looked back. He walked back to Vaati and knelt down in front of him so they were eye level. "Hey kid, don't let this bully get to you." He smiled. "Do you want me to teach you the secret about bullies like this Delta fellow you know?"

Vaati nodded.

"Well for one thing, the most effective way to get rid of them is to ignore them. Show them that whatever they're doing to you isn't affecting you at all." Glen waved a finger in the air. "Also, try to think of why they've singled you out. Usually it's because they're insecure and unsure of themselves so they find a target to attack to hide their own fears. Or maybe Delta had something to be afraid of in you."

"Yeah right." Vaati rolled his eyes and held out his thin hands out in front of him. "Afraid of me? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard." He watched Glen smile and stand back up as moved towards the door. "Hey Glen?"

"Hmm?"

Vaati looked down at his feet. "Can you tell Miss Britta I'm sorry for making her worry and for…and for getting my clothes muddy?"

"I'll tell her you're sorry about making her worry," Glen chuckled, "but I _won't_ tell her you're sorry for getting your clothes muddy. That wasn't your fault."

Vaati closed his eyes. "Hey Glen?"

"What is it?"

The Minish boy smiled a little. "Thanks for the advice today. I think…I'll go take another shot at school tomorrow."

Glen grinned. "That's great! Show that Delta he doesn't bother you one bit."

"Definitely. I'll do that."

Vaati watched the door close shut and then plopped back on his bed again so that he was staring at the ceiling. He was glad Glen had come to talk to him. He was like a brother to him, and was the closest thing Vaati had to family. He liked Miss Britta, too, but he didn't think she understood him too well. Nor did she have the time to be with him with all the things she had to take care of in the orphanage by herself.

As he had grown older, Vaati had also noticed that try as he might to get rid of it, there was always a distance between him and anyone else he'd ever tried to get to know except Glen. There was always that split-second hesitation when people first met him that, though not really noticeable, was sure to send a subconscious message that they were uneasy around him. Vaati knew it was his looks. He couldn't deny that he was a little unsettling to look at with his sickly color and crimson eyes.

_My parents must've looked hideous,_ Vaati thought jokingly. He didn't mind making fun of his real parents; he'd never met them anyway. He used to wonder if they'd ever come looking for him, but then after a while he gave them up for dead or worse, irresponsible. Vaati had figured that it wasn't worth his time wondering about his relatives if he was perfectly happy at the orphanage.

Glen leaving was going to change things a bit. He had really looked forward to making new friends at school this morning so he would have someone to talk to after Glen had gone. Vaati sighed. He was going to be strong in school tomorrow. _Delta you jerk._ Vaati flipped the bed covers over himself and buried his head under so that only his ears stuck out from beneath the sheets. _I don't know what you have against me, but you'll see…_

_I'm not afraid of you. _

* * *

fleets: Btw, some of you who've read my other story may recognize this scene in the flashback I'd written in BC.

**Diablo1123: **Nope. Those kiddies aren't nice. D:

**Shadow Rukario: **Yay, thanks for the encouragement! I highly appreciate it!

**Velk: **Considering that this is a tragedy, it's most likely going to get worse too... D:

**Astral S. Kepeire: **That's interesting. I think I agree with you. :) Er...I hope the 'picking up' part will meet expectations. I'm not really sure. Of course, I haven't gotten to the plot yet so that's something I can strive for.

**Bishieluver01: **This'll be my first tragedy piece...let's see how I do. Ah, don't worry, I'll keep writing the other one! I want to see it finished as much as you. :)

**H-bomber: **Thank you as aways. The friend will be a crucial character in the story. If there's no friend, there's no story, and there'll be no evil purple angsty Vaati. He's going to be THAT important. ;)

**Peka the Corsair: **Embarrassment is such a horrible emotion. Me too, I've experienced it more times than I'd have liked to. :(


	4. Detention

fleets: So, yeah, decided to write this one before TU this week because I'm not feeling so great. I'd need to write TU when I'm in a more uplifted mood because TU is becoming more serious in the next bits. I'm in a semi-down mood, so I stuck with TH because this story is light-hearted (for now).

* * *

**Chapter 4: Detention**

When Ms. Tutari strode into the classroom the next morning and took a glance at him that was one second too long, Vaati knew that something was up. The glance had conveyed worry, sympathy, pity, and agitation all in one, and it was enough to shake away the confidence Vaati had prepared for his second day of school. The young teacher fiddled with the hem of her leafy poncho, took her third look at the attendance sheet, and tapped the tip of her quilt pen in a rhythmical flustered beat.

The class recognized that there was something wrong as well, and not a single child dared to speak above a whisper. Everyone sat stiff in their seats when Ms. Tutari gave them a sweeping glance.

"School," she began, "is a place to learn and grow. But I want everyone here to remember that the learning you do here is not just about spelling and addition."

The kids could tell by the tone of her voice that she wasn't happy about something. Vaati began to suspect that whatever it was, it probably had something to do with him. He already wanted to slide down from his seat and hide under his desk.

"School is where you make friends and learn about other people. You learn how to listen, how to be patient, and most importantly how to be kind." Her voice became stern, and several students began to shift in their seats uncomfortably. "I'm not going to name names, but I heard that some of you in this room did things yesterday that were hurtful to others. I'm disappointed and saddened that you would make a wonderful place like school unwelcome and unkind. Does anyone here want school to be unwelcome and unkind?"

There were several murmurs of "no" and a shaking of heads. By this point, many students were giving what they thought were discreet and curious looks in Vaati's direction. Vaati was beginning to feel embarrassed again. _Glen I can't believe you told Ms. Tutari_…He held his face in his hands. _Now it looks likes I went whining to the teacher!_

Ms. Tutari leaned over and for a few minutes she was invisible behind her desk. Then, she came back up from behind the neatly stacked papers holding a red cloth back. She shook it and the sound of paper was heard crackling around the bag. "I think it'll do us good to get to know each other even better than before. When you really get to know someone, you realize that they're not so different from you after all. Remember that everyone has the potential to be an amazing friend if you let yourself get to know them."

_Yeah right_, Vaati thought, shooting a resentful scowl at Delta who was absentmindedly carving his name into his desk.

"I decided to begin the class today by letting you do an exercise with a partner. I'm going to randomly assign you with someone so you won't go pairing up with friends you already know well. The purpose of this exercise is to get to know someone _new_."

_Hey, this doesn't sound too bad_. Vaati leaned forward in his chair, his earlier embarrassment leaving him. He felt a little thankful for Ms. Tutari and Glen, as he realized that this was mostly an effort on their behalf to earn him some friends. Maybe today was going to be an amazing day where he would make his first friend. Coming to school had been a good idea after all.

"I'm going to pick names out of a hat to pair you up. There will be no swapping partners, and there will be no exceptions. The first pair will be," Ms. Tutari picked out two pieces of paper from the bag, "Fretta and Kotari."

Vaati looked around the classroom hopefully. He was somewhat excited and nervous at the same time. He wondered who was going to be his partner, what they would talk about, and how they might react to him. He was desperate to prove to someone in school that he was really a nice kid to get to know, that he wasn't at all as strange as Delta had made him out to be, that he wasn't boring, and that he really wanted to be friends. He took another peek at Delta. Well…he would be happy to be a partner with anyone but Delta.

"Jestari and Bentari."

Vaati took a quick count of the number of students in the class. There were eighteen kids. Vaati let himself relax. _There're 18 students. What are the chances of me being paired with Delta?_

"Lestari and Ria."

Vaati waited patiently for his name to be called. With each name called that wasn't his, his heart sank. He also became slightly more nervous when the number of students who weren't paired yet decreased, leaving only a few more students along with Vaati and Delta.

"Vaati and…"

The pale skinned boy perked up. _Finally!_ His eyes were glued to the bag hopefully. He would be absolutely happy to be partners with anyone as long as it wasn't Delta.

Ms. Tutari reached into the bag and pulled out the second slip. She carefully opened it and…

Vaati caught his breath. She had hesitated. His anxiety increased with each painful second that passed where Ms. Tutari's dainty face twisted into what he imagined was alarm.

"…Delta."

Vaati could swear his heart had stopped. He wanted to scream but he had no breath to scream with. It seemed Fate wanted to punish him for some reason to want to pair him up with the one person who had antagonized him the most on his first day of school. Delta himself looked horrified by the outcome, abandoning his name-carving project to gape at Ms. Tutari in disbelief. The two boys glowered at each other in mutual dislike: if they were together on anything, it was the fact that they hated each other.

Vaati pleaded with his eyes in silent prayer to Ms. Tutari to redraw the names. However, with a small shake of her head, Vaati knew that she wouldn't do it. Ms. Tutari couldn't go back on her earlier declaration that there were no exceptions to swapping partners.

He sighed._ Why me?_

XXXXXXXX

Delta and Vaati sat in the far corner of the classroom, each staring resentfully at the activity sheet Ms. Tutari had given them. Initially they had sat silently without saying even one word to each other until Ms. Tutari had walked over and told them they had to participate. There were several conversation starters on the sheet that asked a question for each partner that they had to answer and talk about, but neither of them was enthusiastic about it. Vaati scuffed his feet on the floor in jealous frustration of the other kids who actually seemed to be having rather friendly and interesting conversations with their partners. Vaati skimmed the questions on the activity sheet again. _Oh what the heck_.

"What's your favorite dessert?" Vaati read out loud stiffly. Delta frowned.

"Did you say something weirdo?"

Vaati glared. "I sure did. You obviously have hearing problems." He continued. "By the way, _my_ favorite dessert is apple pie."

Delta faltered, taken aback by the other boy's unexpected comeback. Delta growled. "Well you have the retard sickness. Don't get near me – I don't want to turn into a retard like you."

"Oops, too late, I guess you've already caught it," Vaati sneered. He was thoroughly upset from what had happened yesterday, and at this moment he didn't really care about being the nice guy anymore. "And since you caught it from me, I'm cured and _you're_ the one who's as dumb as cow turd. What is your favorite subject in school and why?"

Delta's nose twitched. He angrily scowled at the activity sheet. "Whatever subject you don't like you moron. What is your most important accomplishment? Ha, I bet you don't have any you nobody."

"Actually, it's to not be an idiot like you. It wasn't very difficult to do though so it might not count as an accomplishment."

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"Yeah I am!" Vaati let his built up anger free itself. He was standing now and attracting stares but he didn't care. He hated Delta for picking on him yesterday and he hated Delta now. He was going to give him a piece of his mind; after all, he'd been determined to show Delta that he wasn't scared of him. "I won't believe that you're not stupid until you say it to me ten times in a row. Oh wait, I forgot you're so stupid you can't count that high."

"Yeah? Well you're so stupid you circled 'boy' when the school asked you what gender you were!"

"You're so stupid you have to be careful your tiny brain doesn't fall out of your ear!"

"Dim-wit!"

"Moron!"

"Idiot!"

"Pinhead!"

"Nincompoop!"

"Ninny!"

"Simpleto – "

"VAATI AND DELTA!" Ms. Tutari's voice boomed. The two boys winced and they both sat back down into their seats, avoiding Ms. Tutari's thin-lipped frown of disapproval. "I don't think any of the questions on the activity sheet required you to start name calling." She quieted them down when both of them began to protest and claim it was the other person's fault for starting it. "Delta, you have not been very nice to Vaati from day one. Haven't I told you that you should treat others the way you'd want to be treated? Vaati, you too." She put her hands on her hips and sighed, causing Vaati's victorious smirk to disappear in an instant. "You are just at fault for name calling. Two wrongs do not make a right."

Delta rolled his eyes from the excessive clichéd statements while Vaati lowered his head in shame. Vaati realized he had stooped to the same level of Delta by returning his own insults; his goal had been to ignore his foe, not turn into him! He'd utterly failed…

"I want both of you to think about what the purpose of this activity is and start again. If you can't cooperate, both of you will stay an hour after school today. Do you understand me you two?"

They nodded reluctantly. Delta glared at some of the kids who were giggling at him from behind the teacher's back.

"Ok everyone, continue what you were doing. In ten minutes we'll share what we learned about our partners."

The two boys stared at their questions again. Amongst the ambient chatter of amiable conversation throughout the room, the desks of Vaati and Delta created an island of fuming quiet. At the end of the ten minutes, neither of them had spoken a word.

The chatter stopped when Ms. Tutari clapped her hands together. "That's it everyone! I hope you were able to make a new friend today and learn something new about the other students in the class. We'll go around and share what we talked about. Vaati and Delta, will you two go first? Vaati, what did you learn about Delta?"

Vaati avoided the teacher's expectant gaze. He put his hands thoughtfully on his chin, trying to recall something from the short conversation they had had. "Delta doesn't like to learn subjects that I don't like…so that means he doesn't like to learn at all because I like learning about everything. He also has hearing problems."

"Now Vaati, that's not – " Ms. Tutari began. She was interrupted by Delta jumping out of his seat with his hands raised.

"I learned that Vaati's accomplishment is to try to not be stupid. He says he still hasn't succeeded."

"Delta, really – "

"I never said that you liar! I said I didn't want to be stupid like you!"

"ENOUGH! Detention for you both!" Ms. Tutari shouted above the class that was now roaring in laughter. The rather frazzled teacher had trouble calming the amused class, and she had to separate the two boys to opposite corners of the room so they would stop disrupting the rest of the period. She shook her head tiredly once the class was in control again. "Where were we? Mita and Pari, could you share what you learned? And please, be nice to each other."

XXXXXXXXX

_This is so not fair_. Vaati picked at the corner of a dead leaf and crumpled it up in a ball. He wasn't happy at all. First, he comes to school thinking he'd make a friend. Then, Delta ruins it by being assigned as his partner. After that, he makes a fool of himself by joining an insult fest that Delta had provoked.

Now he had to go to detention with, oh joy, Delta.

It was recess right now, and just like yesterday he was standing in the shade by himself. He knew no one would want to approach him because his face was stuck in a scowl from his frustration, but in all honesty he didn't feel like talking to anyone today. The other kids probably thought he had anger problems by now after his outburst at Delta earlier. _But it wasn't like it was my fault. Delta started it._ He looked over his shoulder. _Where is that loser now anyway? Gathering his cronies so he can go pick on me again?_

He finally found the bully sitting alone reading a book on a rock. Like Vaati, he appeared to be upset, and he had his feet crossed in front of him making him look unapproachable. Several kids passed by and tried to make conversation, but Delta waved them away and pointed his finger at his book. It seemed Delta didn't want to talk to anybody either.

_That's strange_. Vaati was surprised. From the jerk's usually confident attitude, Vaati had assumed that he would be the type to always be surrounded by henchmen and sadistic idolizers. Delta's solidarity was out of character.

Vaati shrugged the thought aside and checked the time from the clock hanging above the school's doors. _Three more hours and I can go home. Oh wait,_ he thought sarcastically, _make that FOUR more hours. Boy, I'm going to have so much fun staying after school while everyone else goes home. Aren't I lucky?_

It was his second day of school ever and he'd already received detention. He must've made a record for fastest time ever to earn a detention.

* * *

fleets: Seems Vaati had that caustic edge even before he became evil sorcerer. ;)

**Shadow Rukario: **I'm not surprised. I'm trying to steer clear of the common story ideas so I can really claim this as my own. Thank you for the support!

**Astral S. Kepeire: **Thanks! Ooooh, we haven't met Ezlo yet either. That's when it'll really start going. :D

**H-bomber: **Thank you XD

**Darkwind: **It's sad, really (hence Tragedy). And Vaati did say who he had once been is dead...he's lost all association with his Minish version...:( Poor guy needs hugs (gets turned to stone).


	5. Stupid, Not Dumb

fleets: This story is rolling along so slowly - I'm more used to more action and drama! When's the action?! Where's the drama?! ...sorry, I just hate writing necessary la-dee-daa buildup chapters...but they're necessary so I'm not sure I can do anything about it. Ooooh, and btw, this story may just be ridiculously short compared to BC (considering BC was 40+ chapters and TU is going to be around 30). My guesstimate is around 12...but we'll see. I'm known to be a horrible guesser.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Stupid, not Dumb**

Vaati sat glumly in his desk, waiting for Ms. Tutari to come back to the classroom after sending a note to the orphanage to explain why he was staying after school. Delta was sitting back in his chair lazily as though he were a veteran of the detention process. All the desks in the classroom had been pushed aside to the back wall save for the two the boys were sitting in. The afternoon sun was setting, and the classroom was bathed in a dim orange glow.

Ms. Tutari poked her head in through the door holding a stack of papers. She flicked aside a few stray strands of hair and tucked them behind her ear. "I'm sorry, but I won't be back for another half hour because of a teacher's conference. In the meantime, I want both of you to come up with a good apology for each other that you will say in front of me when I return."

Vaati mumbled a quiet "yes," while Delta huffed and continued to rock his chair back and forth with both of his feet on his desk. Once Ms. Tutari left, Vaati glanced disapprovingly at the boy next to him.

"Why do you do that?"

Delta cocked his brow and looked at Vaati as though he'd grown an extra leg. "Are you talking to me you tard?"

"No duh, who else would I be talking to you dolt?" Vaati rolled his eyes. "Look, it's not like I find it fun to insult you. It surprisingly becomes very boring very fast." He leaned against his elbow. "So, why do you do that huh?"

"Do what?"

Vaati waved his free hand in the air. "You're rude to everybody here, even to Ms. Tutari! And don't think I haven't noticed you're especially a jerk to me." The minish boy squinted at Delta. "What do you have against me anyway?"

"You're a freak of nature, isn't that enough of a reason for you?" Delta shuffled around his poncho and took out a polished pebble. He began to throw it up in the air, paying little heed to Vaati. The other boy scowled.

"Maybe I am, but – "

"You ARE, weirdo."

Vaati forced himself to not go punch the kid in the face. He took a deep breath and began again. "Maybe I am, but if you didn't want to have anything to do with me the best thing you could've done was to ignore me. I would've ignored you, by the way. We would've ignored each other and we probably wouldn't have had to go to detention."

Delta scoffed. "Oh look, poor poor Vatee is upset that he couldn't go back to mommy and daddy sooner."

"Actually," Vaati felt his face flush red, "I don't have _either_ mommy or daddy."

"Well in that case, aren't you just lucky."

"Why you – "

Delta interrupted Vaati's outburst with a cold glare. "I mean it."

Vaati was taken aback, and his protests died down to an uncertain quiet stuttering. Delta turned away and looked out the window, tossing his pebble up and down.

"I hate my parents."

"That's so stupid!" Vaati exploded. Delta almost fell out of his chair in surprise. Vaati was shaking in anger, his pale little fists even whiter than usual. "Just because you hate your life you go spread it to everyone? That's so stupid! I bet you don't have any real friends, huh, because no one wants to be with a loser like you! Is that why you picked on the new kid, so someone else would be a loner with you?!"

Delta gritted his teeth. "What did you say?"

"You heard me you bully. You're a friendless loser."

Delta fumed, but didn't say a word. Finally, he shrugged it off and turned his attention back to the pebble, but it was evident that he was thinking over Vaati's words. He creaked his seat loudly as he rocked back and forth. "It's not like I care. It's no fun talking to people dumber than you anyway."

"Wow, I'm really not surprised no one likes you. So you think you're so smart huh?"

The pebble continued to bounce. "I'm beyond the level of this class. I'm currently reading _The Legend of Swiftblade_, but you probably haven't heard of that yet."

"I've heard of that, and I've read all three books of _The Legend_ series." Vaati watched the other boy frown at this new development. "You're so cocky that you don't have an open mind anymore. Miss Britta said that's the most important thing you have to have when you meet new people." Vaati glowered. "You know what you did to me? I came to school so I could make friends, and you had to go and ruin it. I don't have to learn any of the school stuff – I know them already. I just wanted to meet people. Thanks a lot, jerk."

The two remained completely silent for the duration of their wait. Delta had long stopped tossing his pebble and was looking at his desk, pretending to be interested in the pattern in the wood. Vaati sat with his back towards Delta, refusing to acknowledge his existence. The two stirred when the door opened and Ms. Tutari returned.

"Sorry about that." She said as she sat down in her seat. She looked at them both sternly and then she rapped her desk smartly with her pencil. "Now I hope both of you know why you were given detention. You've had plenty of time to think over what you'd done. I want you to give a sincere apology to show me you understand what was bad about your behavior. Delta," she pointed the pencil at the copper haired boy, "you're up first."

Delta got up painfully slowly from his desk and shuffled over to the front of the room. He had his hands stuffed inside his pockets and had his eyes glued to the floor. After a while, he bit his lip. "I'm sorry."

Ms. Tutari leaned forward in her chair, her look as sharp as her bun. "What are you sorry for, Delta? And Vaati, pay attention."

He sighed, and his voice sounded reluctant. "I'm sorry I said you were dumb. I should've known better than to say that without knowing what kind of person you were. I was wrong, you aren't dumb, I'm sorry."

Ms. Tutari nodded her head. Coming from Delta, that was probably the best she would get out of him. She signaled him to take a seat. "You may sit down. Vaati, you're up ne – "

"Actually, you're flat out stupid and you're still weird." Delta finished. By this point, Vaati had stood up and Ms. Tutari was looking flustered.

"Delta! I'm disappointed in you! That's no way – "

"Delta, I'm very sorry I thought you were a friendless loser. I should've known you _were_ one."

"Boys…"

"And thanks to me, you're one too."

"Yeah, thanks so much. But we both know that it wouldn't have mattered anyway since everyone else is too dumb to talk to."

"Vaati!"

"That's right. You're not dumb, you're stupid." Delta began to smirk.

"Thanks, and so are you. Your parents should be proud." Vaati was grinning.

"I'd say the same thing except you don't have any parents you lucky loner."

"Delta!!"

"I don't have parents because they were murdered by evil monsters who were afraid of the reincarnation of a hero."

Delta snickered from the Swiftblade reference while Ms. Tutari, lost in the conversation, struggled to find words. "You? A hero? With your skimpy little arms?"

"That's the clever bit. I'm a hero in hiding. No one will ever know."

"Yeah really, what with your blood red eyes and all."

"Deceptive, aren't they? I can make myself look scary with these."

"Um, actually, they make you look like you were crying your eyes out. Or you stabbed yourself in the eye."

"Uh…boys?"

Delta and Vaati turned their attention to a confused Ms. Tutari. They exchanged glances and burst out laughing from her expression. They were slapping each other on the back and wheezing in laughter while they occasionally threw out insults in between.

"Boys!" Ms. Tutari called sharply. Vaati and Delta hiccupped and tried their best to suppress sniggers. Ms. Tutari shook her head. She opened her mouth to say something, stopped, and then began again. "Um…so…I don't think I remembered Vaati's apology?" She asked in an effort to go back to the beginning of the conversation when things had made more sense. Delta elbowed Vaati while the other boy tried his best to keep a straight face.

"I'm sorry…pfffft." Both of them resumed sniggering until neither could speak in coherent sentences. Giving up, Ms. Tutari dismissed them with a bewildered look stuck on her face. She waved them goodbye from the classroom and watched in puzzlement as the two boys who she had believed had been sworn enemies practically waltzed away with their arm around each other's shoulders. She didn't know what had happened during the half hour she had left them on their own, but whatever it was it seemed the two had been able to come to mutual understanding.

Ms. Tutari smiled to herself. Although she had been worried about Vaati and Delta, she was glad that things had turned for the better in the end. She gathered her belongings, closed the shades, and locked the door behind her. Now that that was over with, she needed to work on straightening out their manners. Where do kid learn all of those mocking taunts?

XXXXXXXXXX

Within a few weeks, Vaati and Delta were inseparable and neither of them could figure out what it was that had brought down the walls of hostility that had been so evident during the first two days. During their detention time, something had clicked and the two knew that they were equals and different from the other kids.

They discovered that they both liked to read during their spare time. Delta preferred adventure stories while Vaati liked reading about stories regarding humans, and both of them were fascinated by legends. They both liked to collect unusual colored pebbles, they had both once tried to count all the stars in the sky until they fell asleep outside, and they both dreamt of leaving their tiny village for greater ambitions one day.

Among other things, Vaati learned that Delta had chosen to distance himself from the other kids of his own free will. He liked to learn, and had naturally taught himself subjects before they were discussed in class. Due to his unusual interests and book reading, Delta had quickly gained the label as class nerd. With his tremendous pride, the boy hadn't let the label hinder him and had toughened up, showing he wasn't bothered by the name at all. In fact, Delta had gained such arrogance that he held the title as though it were a privilege until the other students saw it as something to envy as well. This had only fueled his cockiness until he held an intimidating aura that had made him unapproachable. The other students became afraid of offending him, and he eventually held enough power to be able to rally the other kids if he wanted to, as he had demonstrated on Vaati's first day of school. Still, his unapproachable atmosphere had prevented him from becoming close friends with anybody.

Vaati also learned about Delta's frustration with his family. He had been devastated when his father had died in an accident, and he had felt betrayed when his mother had spent less than a year of mourning before she married someone else. Delta had no respect for his stepfather and had completely lost respect for his mother; he began to spend less and less time at home. Though Vaati had sometimes wished he could see who his parents had been, he wondered if having room for doubt about his parents was something he should be thankful for after hearing Delta's bitter account. Delta frequently spent time at the orphanage with Vaati to stay away from home, and Miss Britta was only too happy to let Vaati's new friend to stay. Glen even cleaned out his room and shipped most of his belongings to Holodrum early so Delta had the option to use his old room if he ever wanted to sleep over at the orphanage.

Vaati and Delta sat next to each other in class and would chatter during lessons so much that Ms. Tutari had to occasionally separate them. Delta's cheekiness became worse now that he had a partner in crime, and he wasn't afraid to let the teacher know how boring he thought the lessons were. To shut them up, Ms. Tutari gave them extra work to do, but the two boys didn't mind. If they forgot to do them, they claimed they had been "optional" as the rest of the class didn't have to do them. Still, they usually turned it into a racing match to see who could finish all the work they had been given first with accuracy. They made a rule that they would win extra points if they could complete it during a period without getting caught by Ms. Tutari for not paying attention to the lesson. The teacher marveled at the increasing amount of books the two boys brought to school: it turned out that they were using them to hide behind during lessons. The loser had to hand over their lunch snack over to the winner. They were pretty equal with each other, but most of the time Vaati won by a fraction of a second.

Before long, the rest of the students became curious of Vaati and Delta. Realizing that the two boys were ahead of them, they began to go to them for help on homework. Their popularity steadily increased, especially Delta's who seemed to enjoy helping the other kids more than Vaati. Delta even became more open and shed his unapproachable aura; so much so that kids seeked him out during recess to talk. Vaati, on the other hand, was more introverted, but he held a quiet charisma that made others want to listen to him if and when he spoke. The other kids no longer poked fun at his looks; well, it _had _been mostly Delta's fault.

Both of them made more friends, but at the end of the day, Vaati and Delta were the best of friends.

* * *

fleets: It might sound weird that Vaati and Delta did a 180 and went from enemies to friends within a matter of days, but this was actually based on personal experience. One of my best friends and I used to hate each other, and I _mean_ hate each other. I think one day we duked it out with as many colorful insults we could think of (I know...immature...) and then by next day we were best best friends. We forgot why we hated each other so much. Weird huh?  
Anyways, gahh I can't wait until I get to Ezlo...

**Astral S. Kepeire:** Yup! I'm not surprised people guessed this outcome because Vaati and Delta are somewhat similar to Vaati and Link with the like/hate. So, no need to dodge bricks! ;)

**Shadow Rukario: **Two minutes? That...takes skill. Thanks! I'm fine now, just a little sleep deprived though.

**Victoria-BlackHeart: **I agree. Vaati's cool. That's why I write these fics too much... :D

**Peka the Corsair: **And I think your guess was correct! ;)

**Bishieluver01: **I know there's Melta, Jenta, Bukta, and Chilta...but not Delta? Actually Delta's pretty sharp too, but if I were to bet on one or the other I'd go with Vaati (this is totally not biased....XD )

**Darkwind: **Oh noes! But it paid off in the end - if you can call getting detention as something that will pay off.

**Velk: **Yes since he's got a friend now.

**marium: **I felt nice - it's one of his few lucky days XD. Ah, thanks for visiting my little gallery. :)

**H-bomber: **Don't forget that one blatant foreshadowing in the beginning, too, about Vaati killing his friend and "himself." Very important. ;)

**I luv Vaati: **Yep, they're bffls! And yes, Vaati kills him like he says in the prologue. It'll begin to make sense as it goes on.


	6. Secret Bases and Rumors of Sages

fleets: I've been trying so hard not to rush my current stories, but dang it's really difficult because both of them are approaching the parts I've been dying to write. Breathe, slow down, breathe....arrghjustgoread

* * *

**Chapter 6: Secret Bases and Rumors of Sages**

Vaati ran over to Delta as soon as the class had been dismissed for recess and bumped him sharply with his elbow. "Hey, guess what you owe me?"

"Fine, fine, you won again," Delta grumbled, handing over his acorn cookie. Vaati took it, then split it in half and gave half of it back to the red headed boy.

"You can take the other half. You finished before me anyway, so it was more like a tie."

"You still got all the problems right though, and you were only four seconds away from finishing."

"Bah, don't be modest."

Delta took his half and bit it. "Hmph. I know the only reason why you're giving back half is because you don't like acorns anyway."

"Shucks, I didn't think you'd notice." Vaati laughed. "Yeah, honestly I didn't want it."

They continued to chatter when a group of boys called over to them. Half of them were tying strands of yellow string around their waists to form a team. They asked if the two wanted to play capture the flag with them.

Vaati was about to say yes when Delta interrupted him. "Nah, not today guys! Maybe tomorrow!"

Vaati tilted his head. "Why not today? You've got anything else to do?"

"Yeah, something way cooler. I found this really neat place but we're going to have to be sneaky about it so no one else follows us." Delta glanced left and right and snuck in between the tall grass. Vaati did the same and followed behind.

"Really? Where is it?"

"Just follow me. If Ms. Tutari catches us we'll be in trouble. It's outside the village and near the woods."

"That's awesome." Vaati's eyes glinted as he ducked through the blades. There were no paths through this area and the grass grew a lot thicker as they went along. They felt like explorers traversing into the savage wild or adventurers like Swiftblade: Vaati picked up a twig and swung it at several stalks of grass. "Hey Delta, going adventuring without a weapon is being really unprepared you know."

Delta laughed, picked up a twig of his own, and stuck it through his belt. They continued to pretend that they were famous adventurers until Delta squeaked in excitement and ran on ahead. When Vaati reached him, Delta was standing triumphantly next to the roots of a gigantic oak tree. "Tadaa, our secret base!"

Vaati had to admit the place was pretty cool. The roots of the gnarled tree twisted over to form a crack in the ground where it turned into something like a hideout. A few clovers covered the entrance, and one of them was a rare four-leafed shamrock serving as something of a natural flag. It was difficult to spot from afar so only the people who knew where it was would be able to find it easily making for the perfect secret base. Vaati pushed aside some of the clovers and climbed up onto the roots next to Delta. "Secret base huh?"

Delta swung around the four-leafed clover and jumped through the crack with Vaati following shortly after. "Exactly! I already moved some of my stuff over here." Vaati hopped through some of the clutter and mushrooms that had grown through inside. Delta had dragged in a few brass buttons for makeshift seats. There were a few books with pieces of leaf stuck between them – evidence of half-finished stories as Delta had jumped from one novel to the next.

Vaati leaned over to take a better look at some long rolls of paper that were propped in the corner. "What're these?"

"Huh?" Delta's face lit up, and he snatched one and ran out the base. Vaati rolled his eyes with a grin on his face from Delta's excited promises that he'll definitely like what he had.

Outside, Delta was busy spreading out a dry leaf on a flat area to keep away the damp. He quickly began to unroll the paper and placed rocks around the corners to keep it from rolling back on itself. As soon as he noticed Vaati poking his head out of the secret base, he jumped up and scrambled onto the top of the tree roots. "You gotta see this Vaati! Get up here so you can see."

"Whoa, is that from the big people?" Vaati craned his neck to see the writing that was half his height. He'd never really had a chance to see actual Hylian before, and it felt a little strange that he could read it even though he'd never studied it; it was all thanks to the Jabber nut that everyone had to eat when they were five years old.

"Yeah. I think it's what the big people use to let each other know what's going on. Neat huh?" Delta shrugged. "It's all a little confusing though. I think it's more for the grownups. You know, the big big people stuff."

"Where'd you get these?"

Delta smiled proudly. "It wasn't easy. I had to sneak around the big people's village and tear these off the walls. I think it was worth it though. This way we can keep up with what people outside our village are doing."

Vaati nodded. His fingers followed the large letters slowly as he tried to figure out what the notice said. After a while, he scrunched his nose and scratched his head. "This is so confusing. You're right, it's grownup stuff." He turned to the other boy. "Still, I think I kinda got the part where it was talking about how some of the big people were trying to hurt other big people."

"I think that's what it says. Something about robbers kidnapping the little big people to get money from their parents."

Vaati sighed. "The big people are so violent. I always hear about how they kill each other and stuff. Makes me wonder if they're worth helping."

"Oh come on. Not all of them are bad."

"But still…Have you ever heard of a Minish who's ever brutally tortured and killed another Minish just for the sake of it?"

"I bet some of the hot headed mountain Minish might've pushed each other into lava," Delta said jokingly. Vaati laughed, and then went on to read the next notice right under the first one. He laughed harder when he read what the big people had written.

"Goddesses, this one's hilarious. Did you read this yet?"

"You mean the one about how the big people think rats are becoming smarter? That one was my favorite. I think it was a bad idea that some of the Minish from our village decided to take some food from the big people in the winter. I mean, of course they'd notice."

"Hahaha just read this! 'We suspect rats have finally discovered a way to pick locks and be smart enough to leave things the way they were after they had taken the food. The Smith family reports their locked pantry had been raided of some bread and jam, and the only signs of the rats had been the few paw prints in the dust. Similar accounts have been reported by other families.' Man, those big people are so dumb hahaha."

Delta laughed along. "This is nothing though. You've heard of the story of the shoemaker and the town Minish right?"

"Everyone knows _that_ story."

"And the big people were so shocked that shoes kept making themselves overnight while they were asleep that they had so much trouble finding an explanation." Delta snickered. "Of course they'd never admit the Minish were helping them."

Vaati perked up. "Oh yeah, that reminds me! I think I heard Miss Britta say something about a really famous sage coming to visit the village. Apparently he was one of the Minish who took part in the shoemaking thing."

"Wow…he must be old then," Delta whistled. "What's he coming here for? There's nothing in our village."

The red-eyed minish shrugged. "Something about looking for an apprentice. Apprenticeship is really competitive though, so I doubt I'll have a chance."

"An apprentice for magic?"

Vaati looked at Delta who had his eyes wide, almost bursting with energy. "Uh, yeah."

Delta slapped Vaati across the back so that he fell off the root and tripped clumsily into the base. He nervously chuckled apologetically at Vaati who was frowning flatly before he continued excitedly. "That's so awesome! Magic! Don't you think that's so cool Vaati?"

Vaati pulled himself out of the base and sat at its edge. "Of course I think it's cool, but this guy has been visiting tons of villages to find the one lucky kid who gets to be his apprentice. Why should we have a chance?"

Delta crossed his arms over his chest. "Wow, way to be optimistic."

"I'm just being realistic."

Delta hopped down to Vaati's level and began to move the rocks away from the Hylian notice and roll up the paper again. "If one of us is chosen, you're going to owe me a chocolate bar."

Vaati raised his eyebrow. "Chocolate bars are hard to come by."

"And being chosen is difficult as well, so it's a fair bet." Delta grinned. "What, aren't you so sure that neither of us is going to be chosen?"

"Oh fine, I'll take the bet. I'm not complaining about a guaranteed snack."

"Loser, who said it was guaranteed?" He disappeared inside the base to put away the rolled paper. When he returned he had a toothy smile and a determined expression. "Tell you what. I want to change the bet."

Vaati began to walk back towards the direction of the school as recess was almost over. "Hmph, you're going to be a cuccoo and back ou – "

"I bet you a chocolate bar AND three days worth of homework that you'll be chosen for the apprenticeship."

"What?! Are you crazy?" Vaati stuttered in disbelief. Delta just continued to smile.

"Just think. Do you agree that if anyone from this village is going to be chosen it'll be one of us?"

Vaati fell quiet. "Sure," he said slowly after deliberation.

"Now do you agree that out of us, you'll be more likely to get it than me?"

"Why do you think that?"

"Because you're much sharper than me and I just have the gut feeling that you'll be chosen."

"Don't be stupid Delta," Vaati grumbled. Delta jogged after him.

"So are you in on the bet?"

"No."

"You don't have anything to lose. If I'm being so stupid, then you'll earn chocolate and three free homework passes."

"No."

"Unless you think you have such a great chance of being chosen that you'll lose the bet. You are so snooty."

Vaati sighed in exasperation. "Fine, I'll take the bet. You know you're going to lose."

Delta punched a fist into the air. "All right!" He pointed a finger at Vaati. "Just you wait. You're going to be an apprentice, and then you'll have to pay back the bet. Don't you dare sabotage your chances of getting it."

Vaati shook his head. "I'm not even going to have to try to make sure I don't get it. I know I won't get it."

Still, even as he said it, he secretly hoped he would be chosen for the apprenticeship. After all, who didn't want to learn how to be a master sage? Only a few Minish ever reached the level of magic the sages did, and this one was one of the most famous ones. What was his name again?

_Ezlo was it? It was something like that. _Vaati walked thoughtfully. _I wonder if you'll notice me._ _Feh, why should an 'acclaimed' hotshot sage like you notice a nobody like me – even my parents abandoned me. _He picked up his pace along with Delta so they wouldn't be late for the last half of school. _Not like I care what the heck you or anyone else thinks._

* * *

**Astral S. Kepeire: **Ah, I need to stop being impatient...glad it was ok. I'm going to try to take more time with some of the more important chapters though.

**Shadow Rukario:** After being stuck together in a small car with nowhere else to go, it's only natural you learn everything about someone on a roadtrip. XD

**marium:** Aw, thanks. Glad you liked the small gallery too.

**Bishieluver01: **Minish anything tends to be cute. XD Yeah, I kept being reminded a little of Vaati and Link too. Now that I started writing this story, I think that Vaati has trouble seeing Link as a friend in BC because he reminds him of him and Delta (with Link as the equivalent of minish Vaati). Well, I could be overthinking things...

**H-bomber: **It's my first shot at a tragedy. It's either going to be bitter or teary (or dry, if I fail lol).

**I luv Vaati: **Ah, it'll probably last for a little bit longer. It won't be depressing too fast too soon.

**Victoria-BlackHeart: **He's a coming ;)

**Peka the Corsair: **Oh yeah! Then you know they're being honest with you or are at least showing you their worst. It can only get better, really. :P

**DarkLinkvsRaineSagefan101: **I admit it's hard and startling to compare the two. I get confused sometimes because I'll start writing minish Vaati as the older badass Vaati and then have to stop myself (i.e. "wait, since when was minish Vaati so mean and snappy and bad?"). He'll be completely reformed to the short arrogant baddy by the end, but it might (or might not) be hard to notice the progression.


	7. Ezlo

fleets: Yowch, it's almost been a month since my last update. I'm so sorry, my life is just suckily hectic especially with all he end of he year projects. :(  
Anyways, now that I updated this one, I should start the next chapter of TU.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Ezlo**

A few weeks later, Ms. Tutari arrived to class much more nervous than usual. Her usual schoolteacher composure was completely gone, and she couldn't stop wringing her hands together and walking over to the window to check her faint reflection in the glass. She was at it for ten minutes after the first bell had rung before one of the girls raised her hand to ask a question.

"Ms. Tutari, what are we doing today?"

The teacher stopped pacing. "What's that Kari?" She looked startled, and didn't seem to be aware that she had a class to teach. When Kari repeated her question, Ms. Tutari just shook her head and resumed her uneasy fidgeting. The class looked at each other wondering if anyone else knew what was going on.

"Ah, I hope I wasn't too late." A wispy voice said. Ms. Tutary literally snapped to attention as the door opened and two elderly minish stepped into the classroom. The one who had spoken was buried under his flowing white beard, and he held an ornate staff that had been whittled into a bird's head. He held himself in a manner that was deceptive of his old age – his back was held proudly and his dark eyes glittered with youthful alertness. The minish's fir green robes swooped after him as he made his way to the back of the class and took an empty seat. His acquaintance bobbed his head politely to Ms. Tutari before joining the old sage.

"We apologize our visit was announced so unexpectedly," the acquaintance said. Vaati figured he was a town minish from the way he quickly brushed away some pollen dust from his immaculately sharp navy clothes. "It was the only way we could keep the parents from swamping us. We're not the only ones these days that visit villages almost without warning to look for candidates for apprenticeship. Those parents are practically rabid!" He laughed.

"Yes, I understand. Though I wish we could have a better warning so we can be ready to make everything more accommodating for celebrated people such as yourselves." Ms. Tutari grumbled as politely as she could. She began to ready the day's lesson.

The minish in green laughed harshly. "But that is exactly what we want to avoid! None of this nonsense with fake hospitality. Now please, ignore us babbling old folk and continue on with what you were doing."

"Of course." Ms. Tutari clapped her hands together to get the class's wandering attention. The class was quiet, but almost all eyes were on the two elderly visitors who returned a pleasant smile back to the curious group of students. "Everyone, we're very privileged to have master sage Ezlo," the minish in green raised his staff in acknowledgement, "and his friend Terrari visiting us today. Please give them a warm welcome."

Delta elbowed Vaati when he noticed his friend pretending he didn't care. Vaati shrugged and continued to look bored. In truth, however, Vaati couldn't stop thinking about a possible apprenticeship. He couldn't help smile when his best friend gave him a wink and mouthed _you're going to lose the bet, sucker._

"Okay class, today's lesson is going to be on adding big numbers in the hundreds." She gave a slight pause as though expecting a disruption. On cue, Delta groaned and dramatically flopped his head on his desk and buried it in his arms. If the lesson had been on a subject other than math Vaati would have done the same to signify boredom, but he was just an average student when it came to mathematics. To save face, however, Vaati leaned back and rocked on his chair so that it made annoying creaking noises. Ezlo and Terrari watched the two disruptive boys with disapproval.

Ms. Tutari didn't say anything and walked over to Delta and Vaati with two worksheets in her hands. The two visitors arched their brows in surprise when she slapped them down onto their desks and wordlessly returned to he front of the class and began the day's lesson without Delta and Vaati.

Terrari scanned the rest of the class attentively and listened in to Ms. Tutari's lesson, taking little interest in what he saw were the two troublemakers of the class. Ezlo, meanwhile, kept his eyes on Vaati and Delta with piqued curiosity. He wondered what the two were up to when both boys shuffled their books in front of them to create a wall in what they believed was in a sneaky way so that the worksheet Ms. Tutari had given them were hidden behind the books. Vaati then held out his fingers to Delta under his desk and began a countdown.

_Odd, _Ezlo thought as the two began to scribble onto the worksheet frantically when the countdown hit zero. They kept at it for the duration of the lecture, only stopping when Ms. Tutari asked them a question about something she was teaching the class. Ezlo was impressed that both of them, despite not paying any attention to the class, could answer Ms. Tutari's questions. The teacher didn't seem to notice anything particularly strange about the pile of books on the two boys' desks and how they seemed to have their noses ducked behind them.

Finally, ten minutes before recess, Delta quietly tapped the edge of his desk three times and threw a crinkled piece of paper at Vaati to get his attention. Vaati wrinkled his nose at Delta grinning at him. There was a sound of a long line being drawn on the worksheet, and then Vaati bit the edge of his quilt pen, trying to work out the rest of the problems he hadn't completed. When the bell rang, the two boys were the first ones out of the classroom and Ezlo could hear snippets of their conversation having to do with one of them owing something to the other.

"So what do you think so far Ezlo?"

"Hmm?" Ezlo cocked his head at Terrari.

"Did you see any students that you might want to take up for apprenticeship? So far, I personally found that boy up in the front – Lestari - to show some apprenticeship material."

"Eh, I wouldn't want to teach him," he replied, watching the classroom slowly empty itself of students.

Terrari sighed. "Ezlo, I know your status gives you the freedom to be picky about choosing an apprentice but I have to admit this is starting to get absurd," he sounded tired. "We've visited over twenty villages for crying out loud and you haven't found a single child you were even remotely interested in teaching! And yet you claim you want an apprentice!"

"I know what I'm looking for Terrari. You know I'm serious about wanting an apprentice. My newest and perhaps final project is going to be extremely time-consuming and an apprentice would be nice to take off the work load."

Terrari threw his hands up into the air. "Good goddesses Ezlo! You don't need an apprentice for that. You can just hire a work boy."

"I'm also serious about passing on my knowledge to an enthusiastic child." Ezlo stood up gruffly with a stubborn look on his face. "Excuse me for a minute, Terrari, while I go speak to the teacher."

Ezlo made his way through the maze of desks towards Ms. Tutari. She looked up in half-surprise as she saw him approach.

"You handle your class quite well compared to some of the other classes I've visited. I wanted to ask a question about one thing," he rubbed his beard.

Ms. Tutari stopped what she was doing and smiled politely. "Why, anything sir."

"Do you always handle the two boys who sit in the back the way you did today?"

"You mean Delta and Vaati?" She crossed her arms in the way an annoyed parent would. "Yes. Every day, in fact."

"Why is that?"

"Well." She began to erase the chalkboard. "They used to talk to each other so much during class that I had to separate the two, but even then they wouldn't keep quiet. I then told them I'd give extra work to whoever disrupted the class. It didn't faze them because then, they began to do whatever extra work I gave them during class time and never paid attention to the actual lesson. The first few times I caught them out on it, but then I thought, 'why bother?' They're learning very quickly on their own and now they don't talk as much in class." She shrugged. "I can't punish them for being bright kids."

Ezlo chuckled and waved his cane at the pile of books on Vaati and Delta's desks. "It seems as though they think you'll still be upset if you catch them working on their work during class."

"Yes, well, it keeps them more in control if they think I'll get upset. The only reason why I don't right now is because they understand the lessons. Any signs of falling behind, however, and I'll be sure they begin to pay attention."

"I see." Ezlo looked thoughtful. "What were their names again? The redhead and the…pale haired one?" He was about to say the strange one but that would have been wrong of him.

"The redhead is Delta and the other one is Vaati. Delta used to tease Vaati all the time when Vaati first arrived from the orphanage, but now they're inseparable."

"From the orphanage you say? I don't mean to pry, but does Vaati have no relatives?"

Ms. Tutari shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid not." She put her hand up and spoke in a hushed whisper. "I hear he was abandoned and the caretaker took him in."

"I see." Ezlo mused again. There was something about Vaati that was special. Delta was bright as well, but Vaati had something the other one lacked. He had trouble putting words to it, but he felt as though the pale boy was the one he was looking for. After a few minutes, he called Terrari over and they made their way outside. "Well thank you Ms. Tutari. It was a wonderful pleasure meeting you and your class."

"Oh no, the pleasure is mine."

Ezlo waved his cane and bowed his head goodbye. He had a bright smile on his face and he seemed determined. The old sage had a feeling he may have found the right boy for his apprentice; all he had to do now was make a few inquiries to make sure he was the right one.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Delta, look, you didn't do this right."

"Psh, how do you know that?"

"You've made a careless mistake here and here. That makes the answer 28, not 24. That also means I'm right and you're wrong."

"Let me see." Delta grabbed his work from Vaati and looked through his work. He bit the end of his quill as he went over his work while Vaati rummaged for the cookie they had bet. A moment later, Delta snapped his fingers. "Aw shucks. You're right." He looked at Vaati's outstretched hand with the cookie, then to Vaati, and then back to Vaati's hand. "Umm, I don't think I won this time."

"Just freaking take it Delta, you were faster."

The redhead shrugged and took it. "It's not always about being fast."

"It's a race dummy. You're supposed to be fast," Vaati grinned. He swiveled around on the rock he was sitting on when he noticed something peculiar. Usually there were other kids hanging around the daisies and climbing the grass, but today they were missing. "Hey, where'd everyone go?" He asked.

Delta glanced around too, and then gasped as he pointed a finger and excitedly jumped up and down at something by the school entrance. Sparks were glittering in the air and ethereal dragonflies glided in and out of existence. A mass of kids was gathered around and Delta began to run towards them. "Quick Vaati! That Ezlo is doing something cool!" He skidded to a stop when he noticed Vaati hadn't budged. "What's wrong? Hurry up or we'll miss it!"

The other boy blinked. He still hadn't moved from his perch. "…Nah, I'm not interested."

"What?! Liar!"

Vaati shrugged and turned his attention back to the worksheet. "No really, I'm not interested. It's just a bunch of sparkles. You can't do anything important with those."

"But…"

"I'm going to read these problems for a little longer." He looked at the dismayed Delta. "You can go if you want though. I don't mind."

Delta opened his mouth to say something, and then changed his mind. He stayed around for a little longer but kept throwing sidelong glances at the glittering display of magic back by the school. Finally, he shook his head sadly and ran towards the crowd of kids to catch up on the show. Vaati watched his friend hurry to see Ezlo before looking over the multiplication problems again. He still struggled a little; he needed to memorize them well because he was still iffy about them.

Vaati stared at the sevens being timed by sixes and divided by threes, but his eyes weren't really focused on the problems. He kept being distracted by Ezlo entertaining the kids with magic. Why couldn't he be honest with himself? Why couldn't he just admit that he was fascinated by magic?

_Because…what's the point of wishing for something I won't be able to have anyway?_ A bitter thought ran through his mind. _It's not like that old geezer will ever notice me. _

Surrounded by a mass of curious kids, Ezlo let his magical dragonflies dance around in a circle before they burst and showered raining glitters of golden sparkles. He laughed along with the kids when they clapped and squealed in excitement. All this time, he had his eyes on the boy sitting by himself in the distance – the boy who was pessimistically confident that he will never be noticed.

* * *

fleets: I'm still playing around with what kind of character Ezlo will have. Hmmm. I'm also beginning to try to show parts of Vaati's personality that'll cause big problems later. ;)

**Shadow Rukario: **The beginning of the apocalypse indeed. Oh no Ezlo...D:

**Diablo1123: **Ah, I'm still building up slowly to the tragedy. I will be a little sad when I get there. (tear)

**marium: **Yayers I'm happy you like both of my stories! Sorry about the slow update.

**DarkLinkvsRaineSagefan101: **Delta with another sage? Interesting for sure. :) You'll find out what happens when we get there - but we do know for certain that people will die...

**I luv Vaati: **Considering he became Ezlo's apprentice (MC), yep! XD

**Bishieluver01: **I like long reviews :D. Oh, you'll see him fall. And quite a long fall at that. :(

**H-bomber: **Hmmm, I don't know! XD

**Victoria-BlackHeart: **Poor fellow. He's in denial. Again. Like always. He really does want to learn magic (shakes head sadly).

**Reily96: **Ooooh I'm happy you like this one! It's not an 'adventure' genre that I'm more used to writing, so it'll be interesting to see how this goes.

**Peka the Corsair: **Actually...you may be surprised but I don't think I'll make Ezlo the definite trigger for his madness. Part of the reason, but not all of it. I'm not sure myself, so that's why the question whether Vaati's at fault or Ezlo at fault is open ended (from the bits and pieces in TU and BC). It might evolve as I write this though. :)

**Astral S. Kepeire: **Dundundun! What will Ezlo do, the geezer. Actually I always kinda felt sorry for the guy...ah, I'm getting ahead of myself.


	8. The Apprenticeship

fleets: Sorry about the delay. I needed to finish The Unresolved first because that had been priority. Now that it's over, this one will be priority.

EDIT - So, I've heard some people say the friendship between Vaati and Delta is too gushy or whatever. I just want to let you know that I'm going by what my experience was with guy/guy friendships in elementary and middle school (and no, they were not gay). Even now, bros can be just as chummy as these two are - you don't have to be gay or girly to be like how these two are. You just have to be REALLY good buds.

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Apprenticeship**

"I'm home!" Vaati called out, throwing his book bag onto the floor and hurrying to his room. He stopped outside his room when he didn't hear Miss Britta's usual response to his announcement of arriving back home and turned around in curiosity. Even if she was busy cooking or doing the laundry, Miss Britta had always managed to greet the children whenever they returned back to the orphanage. Vaati turned around and went back to the entrance. "Miss Britta?"

He stood by the shoe cubby without making the slightest noise and strained his ears for signs of the orphanage caretaker. While he scanned his surroundings, his eyes fell shortly at the empty couch in the living room where Glen usually sat reading. The older minish had left a week ago, and since then the place had become even quieter and emptier than usual.

Vaati's ears pricked at the sound of voices from Miss Britta's office. He crouched low and snooped towards the half-open door, pressing his cheek against the wall as soon as he neared. From his vantage point, Vaati could see Miss Britta and the edge of a forest green robe…

"Are you sure? Vaati's not the most trusting boy and it always takes him a while to adjust. I don't want to say he's a trouble child but he can be rather…rebellious at times." Miss Britta's voice flowed out of the room.

Vaati frowned. They were talking about him? And there was no doubt Miss Britta's guest was the famous sage Ezlo.

"I've already made up my mind. I know brilliance when I see it, and that boy has the spark. Of course the final decision rests in your hands as his guardian and his, but please take the time to consider this offer."

_What?_ The minish boy was startled. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Him, brilliant? Well, he did think he was a little sharper than the other kids his age, and not to be conceited but he was pretty talented. But there must have been others who were just as brilliant as he. What about others like Delta? Why him of all people?

"Of course. It's just very difficult to believe because you're such a famous sage and Vaati is…well…" Vaati heard some furniture bump together as Miss Britta shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "I'm beginning to see now that perhaps I didn't believe in that boy as much as I should have. He never completely opened up to me, and we always had some distance in our relationship. I tried. Goddesses know I tried, but I believe that he has trouble trusting adults because he's lost trust in his parents."

"You did say he was abandoned, yes. It's a terrible thing, what they did…"

"That boy is strong, though. I was afraid the kids wouldn't accept him because of his unusual appearance and he was bullied for some time when he first arrived. He didn't let any of their words bother him and in the end, most of them respected him for it. I say he has a gift; there's a certain aura that surrounds him that draws people to respect him."

"I won't force him to trust me, but I hope he gives me a chance. I've seen many talented kids over my search for an apprentice, but they all lacked the ambition. In most cases the kids' parents were the ones who wanted them to be an apprentice. When I see Vaati I see a talented boy who wants to fend for himself and follow his own lofty goals and no one else's. His combination of talent and independence is a rare find for someone his age."

"Your words make me very relieved. I can tell you believe in him, and that's what he needs right now. I'm not proud to say a part of me has long since given up trying to connect with the boy, and I was worried for him when Glen left. He needs a family figure who can give him more than what I have been able to give."

Vaati scrunched his nose. He didn't like hearing all this talk about him behind his back. He leaned in too far against the door and he was surprised when the wood swung wide open and he toppled into the office. He sputtered and scrambled to his feet, red with embarrassment of being caught listening in on the conversation. He began to mumble apologies but was interrupted by the laughs coming from Miss Britta and Ezlo.

"Oh Vaati I didn't realize you were back from school! Come sit down and meet Sage Ezlo, we were just talking about how great you are."

_Yeah I heard._ Vaati moved around behind Miss Britta and plopped down on one of the empty chairs. He eyed the old sage with suspicion, still feeling numb with the shock that he was chosen for the apprenticeship. This had to be a joke, but what if it wasn't? He couldn't trust himself to be overjoyed because he was afraid of disappointment.

A wrinkled hand was stuck under his nose and he jumped back reflexively. He stared at the hand for a while.

"I don't bite m'boy."

Ezlo beamed a smile and Vaati took his hand nervously. The sage's hands were wiry and thin, and shook a little too hard for his liking - like the old man was overly eager to meet him or something.

"You like learning on your own, do you?"

Vaati froze. _Aw dammit he was watching me in class…_  
Ezlo laughed and his voice rasped warmly.

"It's all right. I used to do that too when I was your age. Lessons in class can be awfully boring, especially if you can learn them faster by yourself."

Although he was still sitting straight as a board, Vaati relaxed a little. He looked at the smiling sage carefully and decided he had been more than a little unfair in seeing the famous man as a snooty old geezer who would never understand him. He considered him for a while, and then decided that maybe the sage wasn't so bad. Unlike most adults he had met, Vaati felt that Ezlo talked to him as though he wasn't just some kid incapable of understanding the 'big topics.'

Miss Britta put a hand on Vaati's stiff shoulders. "Vaati, have you ever considered living outside the orphanage?" She bit her lip. "Ezlo has offered to take you as his apprentice."

Vaati opened his mouth, closed it, and then blurted, "you're joking." Ezlo raised one bushy eyebrow in surprise and then smiled, tapping his bird head cane on the floor.

"Do I seem like someone who would joke about such important matters?"

"No, you look like someone who would make unbearable puns." There were a few minutes of silence and Vaati scolded himself for being so pretentious. He couldn't help it – he always had trouble being humble to people just because they were important or whatever. Vaati desperately hoped his somewhat rude habits wouldn't jeopardize his chances of getting the apprenticeship.

Ezlo chuckled and waved a hand at Miss Britta who was frowning at the pale boy, signaling to her that he wasn't bothered in the least. "In fact, that's very true," he nodded. "My friend Terrari is always telling me to stop with the terrible puns. I'm getting better. I don't think I've made one in the last two months!"

Vaati sighed. _Whew…I got lucky_. He sat thoughtfully for a while, thinking of what it would mean if he became this sage's apprentice. He never really considered ever leaving the orphanage to live with someone else, but ever since Glen had left he had begun to realize that it wasn't a place he could stay in forever. It was a place to live, but it had never been somewhere he considered home. But if he became an apprentice, did that mean he would have to move away and leave behind the things he had grown up with? Would he have to say goodbye to Delta and the other kids he had grown fond of at school?

"If it consolidates you, you will not have to say goodbye to anyone here if you choose the apprenticeship," Ezlo said, reading Vaati's thoughts. "Within the next week or so I will have moved to this village and I'll have Terrari send over my belongings from Labrynna."

So, he wouldn't have to move anywhere and he would become the apprentice of one of the greatest sages alive. Vaati rocked in his chair for a while longer before he looked at the old man's glinting charcoal eyes and said, "Not a bad deal, sir."

Ezlo laughed loudly, his robes waving with each chuckle. "I should say not! Does that mean I will have the honor of teaching young Vaati?" He kept his sharp glinting eyes on Vaati, his smile friendly but a little reprimanding, warning Vaati to keep watch on his occasionally snippy attitude

Vaati blushed, knowing he had sounded a little arrogant before. He needed to watch his tongue even though Ezlo didn't seem to mind too much. He wasn't sure why, but for the first time Vaati felt like he didn't want to let some adult down. Maybe it was time he started looking up at somebody instead of looking down. "Yes sir," he mumbled. He glanced at Miss Britta questioningly, looking for some form of affirmation that his choice had been the right one to make. Miss Britta smiled warmly and gave him a tight hug.

"I'm proud of you, dear." She patted his hand and tapped him gently on the shoulder. "You can run off now if you want to while I talk to Ezlo about adoption options." Vaati nodded, jumped out of his chair, and eagerly sprinted out of the room. He'd felt nervous in that room and he wasn't too keen on staying there any longer, especially under the keen watch of the renowned sage.

Ezlo watched after him, stroking his beard with a wrinkled smile on his face. "What an odd boy."

Miss Britta nodded, reaching across the table for some teacakes and offering some to Ezlo. The sage took them graciously and munched on them thoughtfully.

"A nice lad. Very proud," he added, covering his mouth out of politeness. He chuckled again, his old, amiable laugh. "Ah, this will be interesting indeed."

XXXXXXXXX

Vaati slammed the door to his room shut and took several deep breaths. After he was calm again Vaati broke out into smiles and punched the air with his fist. Whooping loudly, he ran as much as he could in the limited space of his room and jumped onto his bed so that he bounced high into the air. He laughed, stopped, and then laughed some more after thinking about how ridiculous he must appear as he celebrated by himself.

He smiled, staring at the ceiling and going over what his life was going to be like again and again. He was going to have somewhere he could be proud of saying he lived in now, and never again would he have to shamefully mention how he lived in an orphanage. He wouldn't have to deal with the mock sympathies of people when they asked him why he was living in an orphanage. Better yet, he was going to learn the arts of becoming a sage! A sage! Only a few minish were ever lucky enough to get that privilege. Grabbing a pebble off of the bookshelf playfully, Vaati tossed it up and down in his hand. He watched it with a mischievous glint in his eyes, and then threw it high into the air shouting, "Levitate!" He broke into giggles, ignoring the fact that the pebble had knocked the clock off the wall and he laid spread eagled onto his bed.

Vaati couldn't wait to tell Delta the news tomorrow. Boy, he was going to be so shocked.

Vaati blinked, and then groaned.

_Aw darn it, now I owe Delta a chocolate bar AND three days worth of homework!_

In his room, Vaati broke into another fit of uproarious laughter.

* * *

fleets: Vaati has respect issues. (shrug) oh wells :D

**Shadow Blues:** Yup, and we'll see more and more of hints of his later personality :D

**DarkLinkvsRaineSagefan101: **It's been so long since I updated this. Thanks! And as for the art request of Vaati, I'll get to it when I'm done with other stuff (I have so much stuff sitting around...). Sure, I'll read the stories when I find time. I'll get to them eventually :) Thank you again! :)

**H-bomber: **Thank you! :)

**Bishieluver01: **Er...yes...sometime soon (sheepish grin). Ah, well, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too too long.

**marium:** Sorry about the delay! I will finish this though, no matter how long it takes!

**Astral S. Kepeire: **Oh wow, I didn't even realize the irony of that statement until you mentioned it O.o Hmmm, I might be able to use this. Thanks! 8D

**Victoria-BlackHeart: **Yup, Vaati is the worst person ever to admit things. When will he ever learn? Maybe never. :P

**Peka The Corsair: **He may be little, but he's still Vaati on the inside.

**Reily96: **And Vaati thinks he's better than Ezlo! :U Only for a little while though. Cheeky little bugger should be spanked.

**Velk: **I uh...I didn't really understand what you were saying... O.o


	9. That's Master Ezlo for You

fleets: omg the busyness never ends!!! I promise i'll get to all the stuff i haven't been able to get to (i.e. answering messages and reading stuff) eventually but right now let me finish stuff like this chapter first. Sorries!

* * *

**Chapter 9: That's Master Ezlo for You**

"Hehe, you're lucky the assignment for tomorrow isn't an essay."

"Oh shut up Delta. I'm concentrating on finishing _your_ homework."

"I earned it fair and square, spoil-sport. You lost your bet. Besides, it's multiple choice so once you complete one of them you can just copy the answers to the other one." Delta drawled lazily, taking a look at more of the posters he had gathered from the human village. It was the weekend and they were at their secret base that had become collectively cluttered by the various objects both of them had found. "Hurry up and finish already, I'm bored."

Vaati growled.

"Lighten up!" Delta grinned. "I know you're happy about the apprenticeship you lucky sod."

Vaati's lips curled upward involuntarily into a tiny smile, and then, remembering himself, went back to looking at the homework assignments with a stern face.

"You should ask the sage for a daily allowance," Delta snickered in good humor. "You'll need to save up to buy that chocolate bar."

Vaati pushed him off the button he was sitting on. Delta laughed and crouched on the ground with a large toothy grin. Feeling a little bad that his friend was doing all the work, but mostly feeling bored because Vaati was too focused on it to do anything else, Delta snatched the other sheet out of his hands and began copying some of the answers. Vaati looked over his shoulder to see what he was doing. "What, are you taking back the bet now?"

"Nah. Think of it as you're doing my work because of the bet and I'm doing yours because I'm just a good guy who wants to help people out. Aren't you grateful you have a friend like me?"

"Oh shut up," Vaati repeated but this time with a sneaking grin on his face. "If that were true that would be the dumbest idea ever."

The two continued to poke fun good naturedly until Vaati finally threw his hands up in the air with an exclamation signifying his completion of the first day's assignment. For the rest of the morning they chattered, skipped stones, and played some general mischief on a forest snake until they had to run away before it got too out of hand. Nearing lunchtime, they stopped by the orphanage to hurriedly shovel mouthfuls of steamed grains wrapped in boiled milkweed leaves and buttered angelica stems. When Miss Britta gave them both some money, they ran off to Tica's Sweets to buy honey candied apple blossoms before romping back to their base. It was with reluctance they went back to their homes when the sun began to set.

"So when do you start living with Ezlo?" Delta asked as they walked back home. Their progress was extremely slow because every step towards their destination turned into another detour.

Vaati hit the stalks of grass with a sturdy stick he held like a sword. He finally stabbed one right through and left it there, brushing his hands on his sides. "I think in five days. It won't be too hard – I don't have a lot of things to pack."

"Are you excited?"

"Eh, kinda."

"Liar. You were about to explode when you came to tell me you were chosen."

"I guess."

"I'm going to brag about you to EVERYBODY."

Vaati frowned. "Please don't do that."

Delta sniggered. "Oh I will. Because deep down you know you want to brag but won't admit it."

"That's not true!"

"Liar."

"Not true!"

"Liar."

"Not true."

"Liar."

"Idiot, I'm not a bragger."

"LIAR."

"…ok fine. Maybe."

Delta grinned. "Most certainly." They stopped walking. They'd reached the point where they had to walk separate ways to get back. "You've got to show me how to do some of those cool spells Ezlo teaches you." Delta waved. "See you tomorrow Vaati!" Vaati flicked his hand up in his customary half-wave.

"Yeah! See you!"

"Remember to check over your homework before you turn it in! I don't want bad grades!"

"Don't worry! I'll get all of mine right, though I don't know about yours, jerk!"

"And don't forget about that chocolate bar!"

"Rrrrr. You forced me into that bet!"

"Your fault, not mine!"

They parted, still shouting to each other until they were out of sight. They couldn't know that this was going to be one of their last carefree weekends they were going to have together for a long while.

XXXXXXXX

Five days later, Ezlo knocked smartly a few times on the red wooden door of the orphanage to pick up his new apprentice. He kept twisting the edge of his robe absentmindedly in concealed nervousness: he'd never dealt with young children before and he wasn't sure if he'd handle it well. What if Vaati ended up hating him? What if he accidentally spoils him? His cane clacked on the pebbled porch and when Miss Britta peeked her head around the door Ezlo looked skittish.

"Ah, Miss Britta! Is Vaati ready to move out?" he asked.

Miss Britta flattened her lips and she avoided the sage's eyes. Sighing, she opened the door and stepped outside, gesturing the old man to sit on the porch bench. Settling down, she looked up at the sun's progress across the sky and shook her head. "Sir, if you have anywhere you have to go, you may come back later. I'm afraid Vaati will be a bit late from school today."

"Oh? Does he have afterschool activities? I don't have anything this afternoon so it won't be too much of a problem to wait for him here."

"He's in detention with Delta."

"Detention! What for?" Ezlo exclaimed, surprised. He began to worry if Vaati was going to be an uncontrollable problem child. Miss Britta saw his expression and tried to smile to ease doubts.

"Ms. Tutari gave them detention on the grounds of plagiarism, but considering it's Vaati and Delta there must be good reasons for their actions. They're hardly the type to copy work out of sheer laziness, though they may have copied each other's for amusement. We'll ask Vaati to explain when he returns."

"Of course, of course," Ezlo murmured. They sat in comfortable quiet, waiting for Vaati's return from detention. The sage closed his eyes and leaned back in the wooden bench. He let himself doze off, enjoying the warm orange glow and putting his thoughts of his new apprentice to the side. It was tranquil here – the crisp autumn air was refreshing compared to the bustling atmosphere of the other villages and towns he had visited and there was a lack of pushy parents since he had announced he was done looking for an apprentice. He could relax for the time being.

Miss Britta excused herself to go indoors to check on the pot she had left boiling, and then returned with cattail biscuits. Ezlo took one and munched on it thoughtfully.

"I hope Vaati would excuse my cooking. It simply can't compare with yours."

"Nonsense. I'll warn you he _is_ rather finicky but I've always told him he needs to learn to be more tolerant of different food."

"What doesn't he like?"

"He seems to hate carrots. He picked out each little piece in his rice pilaf one time for an hour before he started eating it. He dislikes most tubers and bitter dishes."

"He darn better well get used to toast. He'll be eating a lot of toast. Is there anything I should be careful of?"

"Nothing in particular. He likes to keep to himself and he can be snappy when he's in a bad mood, but what child isn't? Like I said, he's a very sweet boy. He's very independent, too, and can find something interesting to do on his own." Miss Britta squinted past Ezlo and shielded the glare from her eyes. Smiling, she got up on her feet and waved at the figure slowly trudging his way towards the orphanage with his mouth turned downwards in an annoyed frown. When he approached, Vaati's frown flipped the other way and he waved back until he noticed Ezlo standing right next to the orphanage caretaker. Vaati hesitated for a moment and then walked a little quicker towards them.

"I'll get my stuff," mumbled Vaati as he walked right past Ezlo and Miss Britta. After a few minutes, he returned with a large duffle bag that contained the entirety of his belongings. He stood waiting expectantly to leave, and then raised his eyebrows slightly when the two adults didn't budge. With her arms crossed, Miss Britta was the first to speak.

"Detention today?"

Vaati muffled a groan. "Yes," he said reluctantly.

"For what?"

The boy tilted his chin upwards and looked at both Miss Britta and Ezlo straight in the eyes. "I did Delta's homework. Three days' worth." There was a hint of amusement in Vaati's voice as though he found the whole situation hilarious that neither of the adults could comprehend.

Ezlo tilted his head in inquiry. "That's plagiarism, m'boy. It's not taken kindly in the scholarly world. Do you know what plagiarism means?"

"Yes," Vaati said flatly, slightly annoyed that Ezlo had assumed he didn't know what the word meant. Not wanting to go through another round of chiding after coming back from an hour of detention, he put both hands behind his head and gave them his best apologetic grin. "Ms. Tutari gave us a good lashing at detention today."

"Well, you won't be doing that again will you?" Ezlo chuckled.

"Nope!"

"Not until you have what it takes to face the wrath of Ms. Tutari, eh? You've still got a lot to learn."

Miss Britta watched Ezlo and Vaati laugh together with hardly any sign of the previous tense nervousness that had existed between them. She gave a light laugh of her own, relieved to see the two of them getting along. Once the merry laughter had subsided, she noticed Vaati looking in her direction uncomfortably. She felt a tinge of sadness, realizing that Vaati was finally going to leave just as the rest of the orphans had done. It was something she had wished for all this while - for the orphans to find a good home - but farewells were always difficult times. Even though she knew the boy had never grown attached to her and had always kept his distance, she was still fond of Vaati like he was one of her own. It was strange saying goodbye.

"Be good Vaati," she said, hugging him in an embrace. Miss Britta felt him stiffen slightly, but once he got used to the hug he gave a short squeeze back. Vaati looked a little embarrassed.

"It's not like I'm moving away to Holodrum or I'm going to die or something…" he muttered.

Miss Britta gave him a short nod. She put a hand on his shoulder and nudged him forward. "Go on now. You'll need time to unpack."

Ezlo slapped his forehead. "My goodness yes! Unpacking is going to be horrible for us both, boy. I also still have boxes upon boxes of packed belongings I have to sort through."

Ezlo motioned for Vaati to begin walking with some hurried impatience. Vaati swayed, and made his way towards the sage and away from the orphanage he had lived in his entire life. Miss Britta continued to stand at the doorstep and watched Vaati's retreating back until he was out of sight.

_Goodbye Vaati, and be great as you were destined to be…_

The new apprentice never looked back.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ezlo chattered on about what Vaati could expect of as an apprentice sage. The old man quickly but thoroughly mentioned the house rules Vaati was to follow, occasionally reminding him he didn't need to worry about memorizing them all yet because he was going to have the rest of his time with Ezlo to get them right. "They're only guidelines for the most part, and all of them are based on common sense. You're a smart boy, you should have no problems with them."

_What a talkative old man._ Vaati listened with half hearted interest to the droning voice of Ezlo, and was brought back to attention once or twice after a few of the sage's wincing puns. After the third time ("You should keep your ink tip sharp and ready for notes, boy, and make sure they're not broken before you dip them in ink. A broken tip is 'pointless'"), Vaati levelly reminded Ezlo his habit to make puns. Ezlo turned slightly red and coughed apologetically.

"I'm sorry m'boy. It's a bad habit. I must've caught it from one of my old friends; he was a fan of mind rotting puns." Ezlo's eye's glinted with mischief and he grinned. "He kept telling puns hoping at least one of them would make someone laugh. No pun in ten did."

This prompted a groan from Vaati accompanied by husky wheezing from the laughing Ezlo.

"All right, lad, all right, I'll stop. I'm probably not making a good impression."

"If I may speak honestly sir, no, you're not making a good impression."

"And I value that honesty m'boy, I really do, even though some white lies would be nice at times." Ezlo lapsed into quiet for several seconds, wondering how Vaati might react if he broached the next subject. He didn't want Vaati to hold a grudge against him for being nosey on the first day, but it was something he felt he should ask as Vaati's new guardian. After all, it was his job now to make sure Vaati grew to be a minish that was firm with his morals. He kept his eyes on Vaati. "Speaking of honesty, what prompted you to let Delta copy his homework from you?"

"He didn't copy my homework. I did his."

"But why?"

Vaati grinned a little. "It was for a bet I lost."

Ezlo frowned. It wasn't that he disapproved betting, but he didn't support it either. "That…must have been quite a bet…"

This time, Vaati laughed openly and he bounced happily over a rock that was in his way. "Oh it was! It was a bet to see if I would become your apprentice or not. Delta bet that I would. I lost, so I had to do his homework and I still have to give him a chocolate bar."

"Did he now! Then take his word and be confident about your apprenticeship because I'm more convinced than ever that I'd made the right choice," Ezlo beamed, relieved to know that the reasons for plagiarizing had been from a harmless bet. "Were the questions multiple choice?"

"Yes sir."

"And you copied answers for three straight days?"

"…Yes sir"

"Word of advice: if you're going to hand in copies, never hand in copies of each others' work three assignments in a row because the teacher will become suspicious when the questions right and questions wrong are the same for both of your homework three days in a row. At least spread them out over the month."

Vaati blinked, not quite registering the fact that the most famous sage in the world was giving him advice on cheating. Then, he snickered. "Yes sir!"

"HOWEVER," Ezlo said gruffly, maintaining a stern face, "doing someone's homework or copying is _not_ honest. You are making fun of someone's abilities or belittling your own in doing so. Remember that."

"Yes sir."

The two stopped in front of an overturned flowerpot that had been turned into Ezlo and Vaati's new living quarters. It seemed as though it had been forcefully been configured into a house in a rushed manner and Vaati couldn't help but wonder whose idea it was to allow them to live in a place where there was a modest sized hole on the 'roof.' Ezlo didn't seem to mind in the least, declaring that it was very spacey. There was no denying that the flowerpot was going to be one of the largest residences in the village, but still…it looked kinda leaky to Vaati. At least the rainy season was over and the fall weather was going to be relatively dry, but a chance rain would make things very drippy for the both of them. _Oh well_, he thought with a determined smile. _It's nothing that can't be fixed. Ezlo's a smart old man without a doubt and he'll be sensible enough to set it right. He's a little annoying but he's better than any other adult I've ever met. I'm so glad he chose me to be his apprentice!_

His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Ezlo snapping his fingers in front of his face to grab his attention. "Yes sir?" Vaati asked.

Ezlo coughed and straightened himself out to his full height with the key to the flowerpot house in hand. The sage brushed the creases out of his forest green robes and pulled together the stray strands of his flowing beard that had whipped around his face. "Once you enter this house you will no longer be an ordinary minish but an apprentice for one of the most honored positions a minish can hold." He inserted the key into the copper colored keyhole and turned the lock with a loud click. "Are you ready to be an apprentice sage?"

Vaati didn't skip a beat. "Yes sir."

Ezlo stepped inside the house and Vaati followed. Not soon after, the sage turned around and rapped the floor with his bird's head cane.

"That's 'Master Ezlo' for you, boy."

* * *

fleets: Disclaimer - I do not really have credit for those awful awful puns. I searched the internet for the worst puns possible I might be able to use and incorporated them in here.

**Shadow Blues: **Yup, whenever I have time in my schedule I'm going to focus on updating this one. On a whim I might start my new story, but this one will be the main one. This story can be enjoyed without Unresolved, but it'll make me happy if you have time to read my other works (though they're kinda long...) v.v;

**Reily96: **And what terrible puns XD poor vaati lawl

**Darkwind: **Oh Ezlo. It's been so long since I last played MC I had to go review what the guy was like by revisiting the game before writing this chapter :)

**marium: **Thanks! Yeah, and I'm still really busy. Hopefully my busyness will go away in a month or two.

**Peka The Corsair: **Yay! Ezlo was kinda hard to write. I'm still experimenting.

**Victoria-BlackHeart: **He doesn't really show it to other people, but he has emotions :D

**DarkLinkvsRaineSagefan101: **His personality is going to change gradually, and then will go snap! Hoping I can pull it off :)


	10. The Books

fleets: meh, I feel a little guilty that nothing really goes on in this chapter...but I had trouble putting this one together with the next chapter so I had to lop it off. I guess it's a transition chapter. Forgive.

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Books**

Vaati was disappointed to learn that he wasn't going to be learning anything about magic for the first couple of days. Instead, Ezlo set him straight to work on helping him tidy up their new house. Because he was a master sage and all, Vaati had assumed that Ezlo would know a handy spell that would help them sort out the things in the packing boxes with a wave of a hand, but apparently magic wasn't as fancy as people made it out to be. The most Ezlo could do was burn the trash using a fire spell, but the sage quickly became tired so he called Vaati to get a fire going the traditional way instead.

Ezlo had also brought almost everything he had owned to the village, so there was an endless stream of things to put away. Vaati, so covered in dust he looked like a dust bunny himself, coughed and pulled out a wrinkled, slightly yellow parchment-like object from one of the boxes he was assigned to help empty. It was somewhat clear and rustled whenever he turned it over in his hands, and there was a slightly unpleasant odor. Vaati scrunched his nose. "Sir…I mean Master Ezlo?" He called. Ezlo stopped placing his books into the bookshelf and looked up. "Does this belong in the trash?"

Ezlo squawked, and ran over to his apprentice and took the thing from his hands. "Goodness no, boy! Treat this with care, this is a sample of the scales from the rare Golden Rope. It's from a snake so rare they call it legendary."

Vaati arched his brows skeptically and took another look at the pale yellow thing. Shrugging, he went back to sorting through more of what he thought were Ezlo's junk. Suddenly, he found something that caught his eye. Vaati turned around to see if Ezlo wasn't looking at him before he went on to examine the wooden chest he had come across. He felt a little bad about sneaking around his master's belongings, but he felt he had some right to look at what he was going through because he was helping him clean after all. Besides, Ezlo shouldn't have anything to hide from him, right? So that meant he could look at his things if he wanted to, right?

The chest caught Vaati's interest because of the words etched into its lid. It read _The Wishing Cap_ in fancy letters. He opened it gingerly and took a moment to marvel at the red gem inside it, surrounded by a soft red cloth. It appeared to be a work in progress, for pieces of gold that seemed to be part of the cap frame were in the chest as well. His hands moved over the glittering crimson jewel, appreciating its eerily beautiful glow until…

"What are you up to, boy?"

Vaati jumped and slammed the chest's lid closed. "N-nothing sir! I mean, Master Ezlo!" he yelped. He hurriedly went back to sorting through the other things in the boxes but accidentally stumbled and dropped several jars of powder in his panic. Ezlo strode over swiftly and relieved him of the chest with the jewel and dusted off the powder that was now all over his apprentice. Shaking his head, he rapped the boy out the door with his cane.

"I'll take care of things from here. In the meanwhile, patch up that hole in the roof – we've been lucky so far it hasn't rained but one of these days a rainstorm is going to come and we'll be sorry about that hole."

Vaati looked up at the roof, then back at the chest in Ezlo's hands, and then at the roof again. He sighed. "Yes Master Ezlo."

XXXXXXXXX

"Hey Vaati, we don't really hang out after school anymore and I couldn't get a hold of you over the weekend. What, are you busy or something?" Delta asked the following week in school during recess. With his chin on his elbows, Vaati grumbled a reply.

"Master Ezlo's keeping me busy."

"Did he teach you anything cool yet? Oooh can you summon fire and stuff?"

"No. He's making me clean the house and put away his belongings."

"Really? No magic yet then?"

Vaati shook his head.

"What about finding some ancient tomes of forbidden spells in some of Ezlo's stuff?"

Vaati shook his head again. "It's mostly junk. I don't understand why he needed to bring most of the things he brought, but Master Ezlo insists that everything he brought is important. I mean, some things look as though he found them from a big person's trash bin!" He was in the middle of sighing tiredly when he remembered something. "There _was_ one thing though…"

Delta's ears twitched and he perked up. "What?"

Vaati shrugged. "It was this chest I found. There was this bright red gem inside it and some red cloth, and on the top of the chest's lid I found the words 'The Wishing Cap.' I don't know what it could mean – I wonder if you can grant wishes with it."

"Woah, that would be so cool," Delta said in awe. He absentmindedly began a tic-tac-toe game on the dirt. "If you could grant any wish what would you wish for?"

Vaati stared at the sky thoughtfully and bit his lip. After a while, he frowned and rubbed his chin. "I don't know. That's too hard…"

"Come on, any wish you can think of. Just think of something."

Vaati placed his last 'x' on a corner box, allowing him an instant win in Delta's game. He wiped the dirt clean to start a new one. "Hmm. Maybe…maybe to go on one of those legendary adventures. You know, the ones people remember and tell their grandkids and stuff."

Delta made a face. "Really? That's it?"

"Don't you think it'll be fun? Fighting huge monsters and travelling all over the world?"

Delta snorted. "Sure, that'll be fun up until the point you get squashed by one of the big monsters you're fighting."

"It's all right. The good guys never lose."

"Only in fairy tails they don't."

"That's why I said 'legendary adventure.' The good guys don't really die in those." Vaati cocked his head. "What about you? What would you wish for?"

This time, Delta grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Um…actually…I think I'd wish for something similar…"

Laughing, Vaati punched him lightly in the arm. "You copycat!"

"That's why I wasn't too thrilled you had the same wish; I knew you were going to say that!" They both looked up when the bell rang, signaling the end of recess. Delta turned to Vaati, grinning. "If we ever have to make a wish, we should just make the same wish together."

"Agreed."

"Cool! Oh, and let me know when Ezlo finally lets you learn stuff. I can't wait to see what kind of things he's going to teach you."

Vaati smiled, excited at the prospect. "Yeah, me too. I think we're almost done with unpacking, so I'm hoping he'll start teaching me stuff for real within a day or two."

XXXXXXXXX

"Come down here boy, I've got something to give you!"

Vaati looked up from his homework at the sound of his master's voice and quickly scampered to Ezlo's study. "Yes Master Ezlo?"

Ezlo had his nose buried in one of his enormous books and he kept his head down even as he addressed his apprentice. Waving his cane at a heavy book on the edge of his desk, he motioned Vaati to take it. When the boy took the book in his hands, his beady black eyes pinned him to the spot. "Have you finished your homework?"

Vaati looked at the cover of the book. It was tattered and worn from use, and behind the faded yellowness of the thing he could tell it had once been a navy blue color. It looked like a dictionary more than anything, and when he flipped through the pages he felt his eyes would fall out from trying to make sense of all the fine print jammed in its pages. The title read The History of Sorcery: A comprehensive guide to the beginnings of magic. "Yes Master Ezlo. I was just about done when you called me."

The sage nodded approvingly. "Good, good. Because I'm going to assign you some extra homework. Don't get all excited now," he added when he saw Vaati's face fall from looking at the hefty book in his hands. He nodded his head knowingly. "I want you to read the book at your own pace. Oh come now, don't make that face at me, boy. That book is nothing compared to what you will be reading in the months to come. It's elementary next to books like this one." He stood up from his chair and hobbled over to the bookshelf. His cane swung from one book to the next until he finally came across the one he was looking for. His wiry hands pulled it out from its place and showed it to Vaati. It was at least twice the size of the first book. "This one is called The Hadeiran Spells, named in the honor of one of the greatest sages ever known, one who was even rumored to have taken part in discovering the magic of the light force. It contains one of the most obscure spells ever known and the trickiest to master. Reading it is no cakewalk, as you will find out when you get to read this. However, first things first. You must master the basics so I'm starting you off with that one."  
"I want you to read the book at your own leisure. I don't care if you never end up reading it, I really don't. Just remember that I will never, EVER, teach you anything regarding magic so long as you don't read it. Once you are finished with reading it, remember to let me know so I can quiz you to see if you understood everything the book had to offer. After all, what use is reading if you don't understand anything it had said?" Ezlo sat back into his chair and stretched. "Any questions?"

Vaati looked at the book he was given again. It was huge, and it was more difficult than anything he had ever read before. Even from taking a quick glance at it from before he knew he was going to have to rely on a dictionary several times to understand some of the vocabulary. _This is going to suck…_

Still, if this was what he had to get through to progress to the next level, he was willing to do it. After all, he needed to show this old man that he didn't make a mistake when he chose his apprentice. Vaati pocketed the book beneath the crook of his arm. "No Master Ezlo."

"Good. Get to reading now, you have a lot to go through." Ezlo resumed going back to his own work. "There's a couple of sandwiches out on the table. Take them when you feel hungry."

"Thank you Master Ezlo."

Vaati walked out of the room and dropped by the kitchen to take two sandwiches that he assumed were going to be his dinner. When he arrived in his room upstairs, he plopped open the book to begin tackling its several thousand words on the history of sorcery. _This is going to take a while_. He leaned back in his bed and started reading.

* * *

**marium:** Yeah, work seems to follow me everywhere I go. Happy to hear you like this so far though :D

**Shadow Blues: **Oh wow, good luck with finals (or hope you did well if you already had them).

**Darkwind: **Hee, Ezlo can't cook XD

**Reily96: **He is. I always made him talk a ton in MC because he sometimes said the weirdest things

**Victoria-BlackHeart: **The ones in the last chapter weren't even the worst ones I found O.o (where do all those puns come from? - shakes head)

**101: **Thank you :)

**Bishieluver01: **It's interesting for me to write because there can only be one ending...which is Vaati going down the bad road

**H-bomber: **Oh, he'll definitely have more housecleaning later. (shudder) I hate housecleaning...

**Peka The Corsair: **(tries to wiggle out of logical conundrum) I guess the house was rushed? That's a really good point, actually. XP  
NOES NOT MORE PUNS! 8O


	11. Study

fleets: WHOA what happened?! I'm updating already? This is too weird... O.o  
Not that I'm complaining :D

* * *

**Chapter 11: Study**

"Hey Vaati, are you busy today?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. Well, Bentari and some guys are going to the pond and I thought I might go. Can't work wait? Come with us."

"Delta, I can't. I have to do this or I'll never get anywhere in my apprenticeship."

"All right. Good luck with that."

"Yeah, have fun."

XXXXXXX

One Saturday afternoon, footsteps hurried their way down the staircase of the flowerpot home at the edge of the village. They maneuvered around the various furniture found in the rooms until they stopped in front of the door to Ezlo's room. Vaati knocked loudly, slightly out of breath with excitement.

"Master Ezlo! Master Ezlo! I finished!"

Vaati waited for a few minutes outside the door, waiting for an answer. Finally, when he was sure he wasn't going to get one, he barged open the door and found his master asleep on a couch with a half-read book propped over his face. He could hear snores through its pages.

"Master Ezlo wake up!" he called. One of Ezlo's hands waved in the air.

"No…no…I'd like that to go I tell you…"

Vaati rolled his eyes. He considered his master for a bit as the sage turned over and the book rolled off of his face. _Hmph_. The apprentice tried again.

"Wake up you old geezer! You snore like a hog."

The book fell onto the floor with a loud thud and Ezlo woke up with a start. The sage scrambled up and looked around the room wildly. "Who's there?!" His eyes landed on Vaati who appeared as shocked as he did. "Goddesses, boy, knock before you come in next time!" He straightened himself out, wondering why his apprentice appeared somewhat shaken.

"But I did knock, Master Ezlo. You didn't answer so I thought I should just wake you up." _Whew, good thing he didn't hear what I said._

Ezlo picked up the book he had dropped from the floor and shook his head. "Well you must have something important to say if you decided waking me up was worth your time, m'boy."

Vaati was all smiles as he held out the book he had been given a while ago and beamed proudly, "I finished the book Master Ezlo."

"Why that's great! That was awfully quick, boy, I hope you didn't just read it but understood the material as well?" Ezlo asked with a hint of surprise.

"Yeah, can you test me?"

"Ok then, let's get started right away. Are you ready? What is the first most important thing to consider before attempting a spell?"

For the next hour, Ezlo drilled Vaati and the young apprentice smartly answered each question given to him. Although he stumbled a few times, the mistakes were minor and Ezlo was mostly impressed by the amount of knowledge Vaati had managed to gather from the book he had been given. It was apparent that the boy had been determined to pass this part of the apprenticeship and it made Ezlo's heart flutter with joy when he saw the potential his apprentice had. Vaati had studied the material so well that he could occasionally pick out entire paragraphs out of the book when he answered Ezlo's questions. By the time they were done, Ezlo was proud for the boy.

"My word, boy, I'm impressed," he smiled.

Vaati was grinning from ear to ear. Wringing his small hands together in anticipation, he asked the question he had been dying to ask. "Master Ezlo, can you teach me how to do magic?"

The old sage started. Of course he should have expected his apprentice to ask him that question but it still made him hesitate. He looked at Vaati – small and a little sickly, he was the type of boy who was as fragile as a dried leaf. Magic was a dangerous practice in inexperienced hands, and he felt that although Vaati had mastered his studies fantastically so far, it was too early for him to begin any real magic. There were countless horror stories regarding sages who taught apprentices magic too early, and the thing Ezlo feared most was to lose his dear prodigy.

Ezlo had underestimated how quickly Vaati would master the first book, and he had counted on a few more months of reading on Vaati's part before the apprentice was finished. Ezlo shook his head. No, it was still too early…

"Mmm, it's still too early for you m'boy. Here, take these books as well and we'll do the same thing we did with the first one. Considering how quickly you were able to read the first one, these should give you no problems."

Vaati's face fell in disappointment, and a flicker of frustration blossomed on his face when he saw that his prizes for completing his assignment were twenty new books to read. They were all thinner than his last book, but still…twenty books were a ridiculous amount. It had taken him roughly a month to finish his first book and with sacrifices of free time no less – this was going to take him years. "Master Ezlo…I don't think I can finish this…"

Ezlo scratched his beard. "Well I certainly don't expect you to finish this in a week or even a month for that matter." He put a hand on his apprentice's shoulder encouragingly. "Remember that this is an apprenticeship, boy. These things are supposed to take years of study. Just think that I'm giving you everything you have to learn in advance instead of one at a time. I know you can do it, boy, you're my apprentice after all."

Vaati was not happy. He felt he had been deceived. "What's wrong with teaching me now? I mean, I proved I know all the important concepts of sorcery and I even know some of the basic theories behind the simple spells. Can't I just try one of those?"

"What?! No, you're too young, and the consequences that come with failing a spell can sometimes be dangerous. Read the books I've given you. When you finish, I might show you how to do a healing spell." Ezlo explained hurriedly.

"But Master Ezlo, you gave me twenty volumes…"

Ezlo decided he wanted to end the conversation. "That's just how serious magic is. Go read now, I'm busy."

In fact, Ezlo wasn't busy at all and he felt slightly guilty as he watched his talented apprentice wordlessly leave the room with some of the books, all his previous energy drained out of him. The boy was so young and it had caught Ezlo off guard by the speed at which he had been able to master the material. It wasn't normal, and he couldn't help but think that though Vaati was talented it was too early for him to be learning magic.

_You need a certain maturity to master magic, and that only comes with experience and age. _He convinced himself. _When Vaati finishes his readings…when Vaati is a little older…then I'll teach him. He's not ready yet._

Yes, the readings had mostly been an excuse to buy time. _Nonsense, they are also important knowledge that will help him be more prepared when the time comes to learn magic…_

Ezlo paced around his room for a bit and then sat back down on the couch with his head in his hands. He wasn't very good at showing affection so far, he admitted, but he treasured Vaati more than anything. Vaati probably didn't understand just how much he meant to him, and he was reluctant to place him in any sort of danger.

And how dangerous magic was in the hands of the inexperienced. He shuddered when he remembered the funeral he attended for one of his fellow sage's apprentice who had died when he had attempted to perform his first elemental spell. Ezlo had no idea why the sage had allowed his apprentice to attempt an elemental spell so early – those were one of the more advanced spells that existed. He did not want to attend Vaati's funeral either – he could never be too cautious, could he?

Even so, Vaati had appeared so crestfallen…

Ezlo sighed. Perhaps he'll talk to the boy about this again sometime. He opened his own book he had been reading before he had fallen asleep earlier, and flipped to the chapter on wish stones and soul mirrors. But first, however, he was going to work a little bit on his own project.

XXXXXXXX

The first snowfall. Winter.

"Vaati, let's have a snow fight! I'll go round up everyone else."

"I can't. I'm busy."

"…Hey, we don't hang out anymore."

"I know, but I just don't have time."

"They say you can find time for anything if you try."

"Delta you make me sound like I'm not trying! I AM. _You have no idea what it's like!_"

"…"

"…"

"Um, sorry."

"…See you later Delta."

"Bye."

XXXXXXXXX

Ezlo craned his neck around the side of the staircase and frowned when he saw candlelight sneaking its way out of the cracks beneath the door to Vaati's room. He barely saw him because Ezlo was usually in his room working on his project while Vaati stayed in his to complete his readings. Vaati rarely went out to play anymore, and he worried he had pushed his apprentice too far. Ezlo hadn't expected Vaati to read almost nonstop without giving himself any time to play with friends like kids his age should be doing. The boy's determination scared him a little.

Ezlo knocked softly on the door and pushed it open slowly. Tired ruby eyes greeted him from behind the covers of a book. "It's getting late, boy. You should rest."

Yawning, Vaati closed the book a little reluctantly. "I have to get through all of this though," he waved his hand at the pile of books by his bed.

"I want you to understand that I never intended for you to lose your childhood over this apprenticeship. To complete what I have given you in a single year is impossible. These things take time." Ezlo brought a chair up next to Vaati. He watched the boy staring blankly at the wall. He sighed. "I know you want to learn how to do magic, boy, but have patience. This is a little ridiculous."

Vaati's lips were drawn tightly into thin lines.

"I'm giving you another assignment because you seem to have problems with time management."

The thin lines dropped into an 'O' of sheer numbing incomprehension. Vaati began to stammer.

"This weekend I forbid you to go anywhere near your books," Ezlo began with a smile, and he noticed his apprentice begin to relax and let out a chuckle of relief. "Go out there and play with your friends. Do you think you can do that, boy?"

"Yes Master Ezlo!" Vaati squeaked. For a second, it looked as though the apprentice was going to jump up and hug him out of happiness but Vaati quickly caught himself and gave a reserved grin instead. _Ah, well, I suppose he still needs time to trust adults,_ Ezlo thought sadly. The sage ruffled the boy's lavender hair and laughed when Vaati wrinkled his nose in annoyance.

Ezlo stood up and snuffed out the light while he made for the door. "I expect you to excel in the next assignment," he said gruffly. "It should teach you to find a nice balance between work and play."

"Thank you Master Ezlo."

The sage walked out and clicked the door closed. He took a deep breath. _Hopefully that solves that problem._ Vaati's work habits had become borderline unhealthy. Ezlo laughed silently to himself, thinking of how he had to force his boy to go play instead of work. _How absurd!_

He still couldn't believe Vaati's determination to learn magic had caused the boy to pursue the venture with complete disregard for himself and others. Forcing him to play over the weekend was only a temporary fix, and Ezlo had a feeling that his apprentice would go back to his old ways if opportunity presented itself. He shook his head. _So determined._

On his way to his own bed to rest for the night, the sage detoured to one of the packages that had arrived earlier that day. He tapped it thoughtfully with his cane before he went away. Tomorrow he was going to surprise Vaati with a small present. It might be the thing to let Vaati know for now that he was serious about teaching him the secrets of the magical arts, and that he meant something like a son to him.

Well, it'll take time…but the old sage could hope…

* * *

fleets: Ezlo isn't ALL that bad. They both just suffer bouts of poor communication at times. Of course, almost all messy relationships I've seen have something to do with bad communication. (noes! forshadowing!) D:

**Reily96: **Ooooh yes yes yes the CAP. Once he gets it he'll be short no longer (false)! But he is easily defeated with homework...

**Victoria-BlackHeart: **And now even more homework. His new homework isn't too bad though :)

**Bishieluver01: **There will be one huge thing that will tip him over the edge - you'll definitely know what it is when you see it

**marium: **Hmm, you'll see later that whether it's worth it or not depends on the point of view...

**DarkLinkvsRaineSagefan101: **Oh yay that's great to hear! REALLY?! One month?! Goodness, that's way too long.

**H-bomber: **Yup, it was a huge book but Vaati was able to read it in about a month determined little fellow.


	12. The Brunette

fleets: I personally am not a big fan of this chapter, but it's necessary for the upcoming ones. Oh wellz.

* * *

**Chapter 12: The Brunette**

Friday recess.

"Wow, so Ezlo gave you that?" Delta asked Vaati who had showed up to school wearing a purple robe instead of the usual green poncho all the young minish wore. A gold clip held it in place around his neck, and he sported a new mauve hat that matched his lavender hair. Vaati appreciated his reflection against whatever parts of the glass window that was still yet to be frosted over with ice. He looked like a proper apprentice now.

"Yeah! Isn't it great? Master Ezlo just decided to surprise me this morning."

That morning, Vaati had opened the door to his room to discover a package with a note saying it was addressed to him. When he realized what it was, he wasted no time in changing out of his old clothes to his new ones to show it off proudly to Ezlo. It had fit him perfectly except for the sleeves that had been a little too big, and he remembered Ezlo had looked so pleased with himself. Vaati had been so overjoyed with his present that he had decided to wear it to school where he attracted the attention of many curious eyes. A few students had even come up to him wondering how his apprenticeship was going.

"You know what else? He also gave me an awesome new assignment."

Delta's mouth curved downwards into a frown. He shrugged. "…Just don't let him overwork you. We don't do anything anymore except during recess now."

"No, no, it's not like that," Vaati said, laughing. "My assignment is to have fun this weekend. Ezlo was worried I was studying too much."

"Really?!"

"Yeah."

Delta raised his hand for a high-five. "That's great! But geez, does someone really need you to _assign_ you free time?"

"Haha apparently. Anyways, so, let's go do something this weekend. Didn't you say something about Lesta getting people together for sledding?"

"Yup. They're going to go by the big people's abandoned cabin to sled on the roofs. It sounds fu – Achoo!" Delta sneezed. Sniffling, he snapped his fingers in disappointment. "Darn it, I thought my cold was going to go away."

Vaati reached down and grabbed a clump of snow in his bare hands. The snow tingled and iced his hands until they were numb and without feeling. He began to compact it into a tiny ball. "The weekend's tomorrow," he pointed out, "so you better get well until then."

"No worries, I'll be fine. Besides, I can't miss sledding on roofs can I?" He sniffed again and then turned back to the school. "Eh, I think I should head back indoors before my cold can get any worse."

"Aw, boring." Vaati tossed his snowball up and down in his palm. Delta had his back to him and was trudging slowly back to the school with his hands in his pockets. _Feh, easy target,_ Vaati thought with a mischievous grin. He leaned back and wound up for the throw. Then…

_Huh? Why'd he stop?_

Delta had frozen to a stop and appeared as though he had seen something frightening. He was looking at something that was just out of Vaati's view, but at the same time it seemed he was trying not to look at it, whatever it was. Vaati, still with his snowball in hand, ran up to Delta. "Hey you, what's up?"

Delta's head snapped around and he stammered, his cheeks a bright tomato red. "N-nothing. I was just…um…nothing."

Vaati arched his brows. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing ok? Just don't worry about it."

Vaati scratched his chin, and then peered over to where Delta had been looking earlier. All he saw were two minish girls from their class: a brunette named Kari and a redhead named Fretta. Vaati took a look at Delta's quickly retreating figure and snickered nastily, putting the pieces together. He ran up and grabbed his wrist, stopping the other boy short in his tracks. "All right, which one?" he snorted through suppressed giggles. Poor Delta was pink to the very tips of his ears.

"It's not like that!"

"Sure. And you're also going to tell me your cheeks are red from frostbite, right?"

"Vaati…"

"Is it the brunette? I personally think she's better looking."

"Vaati! Don't you dare say anything to anyone about this." Delta stopped to sneeze, and then began again. "I'll hate you forever if you do."

The apprentice sage watched the snow quickly vaporize off of Delta's red face in amusement. "So it _is_ Kari. Cool. I approve."

"Vaati, I'm warning you."

"She's not dumb either. That's a plus."

"Vaati…" Delta was beginning to sound tired.

"I can't really say what her personality is like though."

"…"

"Have you talked yet?"

"Can we just go back inside now and forget about this?"

"No. Hmm…so you haven't talked…Hey, come back here." Vaati kept his grip on his friend's poncho. "I'll get you two talking, how's that?"

"_WHAT?_" Delta turned from red to white in a matter of seconds. "Um…please don't…anything but that. I don't…I mean…you know, it's just a little crush and it'll go away soon," he fumbled around for words.

"Oh come on, go talk now. It's not that hard."

"Easy for you to say…" Delta grumbled. Vaati considered the comment for a moment and then grinned. He was in a good mood today, and with his new apprentice's robe he felt unstoppable.

"If you can't go I'll show you just how easy it is. Then you have to promise you'll give it a shot too, ok?"

Delta blinked, sneezed, and then blinked again. He wondered if Vaati was being serious. Finally, he shrugged. "Sure go make a fool of yourself. And I'm not promising anything."

Vaati nodded with his little smirk still stuck on his face and then made his way over to the two girls who were in the middle of making snow angels. Delta watched skeptically as Vaati began to talk to them smoothly and with all the confidence he could muster. Delta reddened again when he noticed his friend point to him from a distance and the embarrassed boy hid his face in his hands. _Oh god he's going to screw up and bring me into shame with him._ Delta tried his best to ignore how Kari was also looking his way with curiosity. Unable to stand it any longer, Delta retreated indoors where they couldn't see him.

After a while, Vaati returned triumphantly and slapped him hard across his back. "Your turn red-face, she wants to talk to you." Delta's eyes widened in surprise.

"Really? She wants to talk to me?"

"You're welcome for making it easier for you two to talk now."

"Oh…yeah…thanks…" Delta said, somewhat dazed. "Um…do I really have to talk to her now?" He flinched with annoyance when his friend laughed out loud in good humor.

"You'll have to eventually. I managed to convince her to come sledding with us this weekend."

"Er…" Delta hesitated. "That's…that's tomorrow."

"No duh genius."

Delta walked cautiously to the window and peeked outside. He gulped when he saw Kari and her friend looking his way and giggling conspiratorially. They waved, and he waved shyly back before he jumped away from the window glaring daggers at Vaati who was laughing hysterically. "Shut…up…"

"Hahaha tomorrow's going to be a fun day huh?" Vaati went back outside again. "Hold on, let me go get something for you." A few minutes later, Vaati came back indoors with his hands behind his back. Before Delta could do anything, his friend took him by the shoulder and planted a snowball in his face.

"!!"

Vaati snickered. "There, that should keep you cool until tomorrow."

XXXXXXXXX

Vaati and Ezlo were eating breakfast together the next morning when they heard someone knock politely on the door. At Ezlo's prodding, Vaati stood up to answer it.

"Hi Vaati!"

The apprentice cocked his head in surprise at his visitor. It was the apple cheeked girl from their class, Kari. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

The minish girl frowned a little. "Um, well, you asked me to go sledding with you and Delta but I didn't know where I was supposed to go so I decided to come here."

Vaati checked the time. "But it's at least fifteen minutes earlier than the meeting time."

"I know, but I thought it would be better to get there early and hang out before all the fresh snow gets stepped on. You don't mind, do you?" As she spoke, Kari blew into her hands to keep away the cold. Vaati looked at her snow frosted hair, and then back to the dining table where his master was watching with interest.

"No, I don't mind. Let me get a jacket then." He shook his head. "Why aren't you wearing gloves or a hat? It's cold out – did you want to catch something?"

Blushing, Kari played with her hands and followed Vaati indoors. Vaati didn't notice, as he was too busy scowling at Ezlo who was annoying him by winking. "Well…I think I was so eager to go sledding with you and Delta that I jumped out of the house without thinking…"

_Gosh, what a dumb girl_, Vaati thought, but refrained from making any comment. He wasn't the one who liked her after all. He quickly introduced her to Ezlo who seemed more cheerful than usual, and left them talking to each other while he went upstairs to fetch his jacket and extra gloves and a hat for the forgetful Kari. When he returned, he found Ezlo gloating to a somewhat intimidated Kari about Vaati's achievements. Vaati quickly pushed Kari out the door, and they could hear Ezlo's bright voice following them outside.

"Have fun you two!"

_Ezlo, we're going to talk when I get back_. The cold wind hit the sides of his face that were exposed to the winter air and he turned back to the brunette who was in the process of pulling down the hat she had borrowed over her ears. "You all right?"

She giggled. "Yeah! Heehee, this hat is so fuzzy."

_Why are girls so giggly?_ "Great. All right, we're going to stop by Delta's house. I hope he's up by now."

"Delta's a little strange," the girl mused with a sly smile on her face. "He always looks at me and then runs away before I get to say anything."

"Yeah, well, he's a little shy," Vaati tried not to snap.

"Oh, it's all right. I like strange."

"…girls are so weird."

Kari giggled again, and Vaati tried his best not to roll his eyes. Kari was usually one of the sharper and more serious girls in the class and he didn't understand why she was so bubbly and kind of annoying all of a sudden. Still, for the sake of his friend, Vaati made no acid comments until they reached Delta's house. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer.

A fidgety young minish woman answered the door. The corners of her mouth had lines of tiredness at first, but they disappeared when she noticed her son's best friend in front of her. "Why, hello Vaati. It's nice to see you here."

"Hi," he replied. Mrs. Esen always seemed so nice – he wondered why Delta hated her so much. "Is Delta awake? We were planning to go sledding today."

The tiredness returned on 's face. "I'm afraid Delta won't be able to leave the house this weekend. He came down with a bad cold and he'll be stuck in bed for a couple of days."

"Oh…" Vaati became overcome with disappointment. This was his first weekend in a while that he was going to be able to spend with his best friend again, but it was ruined by a cold.

"I'm sorry Vaati. It was nice of you to visit though. I'll tell Delta you stopped by."

"Thank you Mrs. Esen," Vaati mumbled. When the door shut, Vaati sighed and crossed his arms. His eyes widened when blue mittens took his elbows and nudged him away towards the woods. It was Kari. _Oh, yeah, I have to do something about her now that Delta's not going to be with us today…_

"Hey, don't look so upset," Kari said. Her voice was a little hesitant as though she were shy. She smiled, and her big doll's eyes looked at him imploringly. "We can still have fun."

_Mmmm why not, it's not like I have anything better to do. _He wrenched his elbow free of the girl's grip. "All right, let's go sledding then. You ready?"

"Yeah!"

The two made their way through the fresh snow towards the place where they were going to go sledding.

XXXXXXX

They were the first ones to arrive at the big people's abandoned cottage, and it took them a while to make it to the roof. After half an hour of running through the house to make it onto the roof, they were finally ready to sled down the slanted shingles. Vaati and Kari each found a leaf to sit on and they raced sleds for an hour until they were too exhausted to climb back up the roof for another run. It had been a while since Vaati had so much fun, but even so, he felt increasingly agitated the more the girl warmed up to him. Something in his gut told him that as Delta's friend, this was wrong…

"Hey Vaati, do you want to go back down now?" Kari asked as she watched an increasing number of kids climb onto the roofs to sled.

"Hm? Oh, go down? Why?" The purple robed boy sounded distracted.

"It's getting a little crowded."

"So?"

"I'm afraid of being pushed off the roof."

"Tch, we'll be fine," Vaati said, but he reconsidered when he felt Kari take his arm and hold on tightly. "All right, we can go back down."

They found a comfortable spot by the frosted windows and dangled their legs over the edge. Vaati marveled at the size of the big people's home and watched his breath fog the glass as he talked. "You know, I wish Delta could have been here today."

"Why, wasn't it not fun enough with only me?"

Vaati started when he noticed her looking his way sadly. In his hurry, he blurted out incoherent babble. Kari giggled softly and shushed him.

"It's all right. No, I wish Delta could have had fun with us too." She began to trace her finger along the window to draw pictures on the glass. "I wish you came to talk to me sooner. Did you know a lot of people in our class are scared to talk to you and Delta? You guys are so talented and confident – would you even notice someone like me?"

"What? Of course! It's not like we think we're too good for anybody!" He was beginning to panic by the fact that Kari had scooted closer within the last ten seconds.

"Well I'm glad!" She smiled, and her gaze pinned him to the spot. Her slightly cool hands touched his and he would have jumped away if he didn't think it would have been rude. "You know, I'm really happy you invited me to go sledding."

Vaati coughed, his mind screaming at him to break the gaze but being unable to find the means to do so. "Um…Delta was the one who wanted you to come," he lied.

"But you were the one who asked, and you were the one who came." She was leaning in slightly now. "And I'm sort of happy it was just the two of us today."

_Oh no. Ohhhh no._

Laughing lightly, she stood up and skipped down to a crack in the wall that led outside. She twirled and waved goodbye to the boy who was still in shell shock of what had happened. "Bye Vaati! Thank you for today, and see you in school!"

Vaati blinked, registering what had happened. It was so obvious even the most oblivious person in the entire world would get it. Kari liked him. Of course he was flattered but his initial plan had been to get Kari to talk to Delta who had been too shy to make a move. He didn't mean any offense, but Vaati didn't even like Kari that way – he wasn't really interested in that sort of thing. In Vaati's opinion, actually liking a girl was too tedious.

He needed to figure out a way to get Kari to lose interest in him quickly before things got messy with Delta. He wondered if he'd be able to make his friend understand the honest mistake in spending the weekend with his little crush. _Well, I can always be a total jerk to her. _He shook his head. No, he'd rather avoid that if he could. _Maybe I can persuade her that Delta's better because he actually likes her back._ Yeah, that's it. He'll try with that first.

Vaati sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. _And if that doesn't work, Kari is going to have to see just what kind of a jerk I can be._

* * *

fleets: Mix girls and boys together and you get a big fat mess. You might wonder why Kari seems interested in Delta first and then suddenly switches to Vaati - well, here's a question. Have you ever met someone who is simply curious about someone else of the opposite sex only because they found out they liked them? Yeah, well, Kari's one of those people and she decided she liked Vaati more (who wouldn't? XP)  
Which, incidentally, isn't very good for Vaati.  
Again, I'm not a big fan of this chapter but the next one....XD  
Ever wonder why the older Vaati that I write about in my other stories is kinda a womanizer? The coming chapters will hold answers XD

**Shadow Blues: **Downfall indeed - and mostly due to circumstances and just pure bad luck :(. Ezlo's keeping him busy for sure!

**Reily96: **Vaati's too cocky to listen to anyone XD Yesss, he's not only already ambitious, but already popular with the girls~

**H-bomber: **I liked Ezlo when he was a hat better.

**marium: **Ezlo can be strict, but he can be understanding if he wants to

**Victoria-BlackHeart: **Definitely darker. I might be able to safely say that things will start going downhill from now.

**Peka The Corsair: **Oh, wow, I didn't realize I put in the 'good guys never lose' idea into this story too. Interesting...

**LinkvsRaineSagefan101: **Actually yeah, school stuff's done but now I have summer work D: Nice catch! Yeah, I used the same exact quotes in the last chapter as in one of the flashbacks that appeared in BC. There will be a few more from BC appearing and some references that were alluded to in TU will be making an appearance as well.

**Bishieluver01: **Congratulations on finishing school! I bet it feels great (but sad maybe?). Vaati has the base personality to underestimate people, but it was probably magnified after he got the Wishing Cap. He was a nice kid...but a slightly arrogant nice kid (remember when he thought talking to kids his age was boring? He's...arrogant).


	13. The Problem with Girls

fleets: I felt like this should be mentioned again -

Delta and Vaati are not gay, and I'm a little sad if it's taken as such. I'm mostly sad because I've based the two off of two guys who were besties in elementary school (and they were as far as gay as you could get). Since when did being best friends turn into acting gay? Society these days, sheesh. Not that I have anything against gay people (I'm not saying that), I'm just wondering if guys actually have to worry about being best friends with other guys at the risk of being suspected as gay. Even a manhug needs precautions.

Ok, so, maybe Delta and Vaati are so much like best friends they're too cute? I don't know. Again, this is what the two guys I'm basing them off of in elementary school were like (and come on, youngsters are cute by their own right).

Sorry about the little rant, but the characters in my story are not gay. You can think they act gay, it might just be poor portrayal on my part, but I'm not writing with the intention of turning them gay. They're best friends. Cut some guys in the world some slack and let them have best friends.

* * *

**Chapter 13: The Problem with Girls**

When Vaati returned home after going sledding with Kari, he was not in a good mood. Grumbling to himself from worrying about how he was going to deal with her when he went back to school, he completely ignored Ezlo who had welcomed him back at the door.

"Did you have fun today?" the sage asked, and then looked after Vaati's scowling face.

"Mmf."

"Who was that nice girl you were with? You never mentioned her before." Ezlo continued cheerily. Therefore, he was quite shocked when his apprentice whirled around and bared his teeth in annoyance.

"It's not like that Ezlo! Don't make things any worse by assuming I like her like _that!_" Vaati fumed. He didn't even bother apologizing for forgetting to say 'Master Ezlo' in his preoccupation. Stunned, Ezlo blinked and found himself in an empty room when Vaati quickly retreated to his room and shut himself in.

_Well that was unexpected_, he thought. He made his way slowly to Vaati's door and stood outside. He knocked once. "Is something the matter, boy?"

There was no response.

"I would like to know why I had to put up with your rudeness."

"Just leave me alone."

"Vaati."

Vaati hesitated. It was the first time Master Ezlo had addressed him with something other than 'boy.' He opened the door a crack and saw his master looking at him with a confused and hurt face. Vaati glowered because he was still upset and worried about his situation, but he finally hung his head. "I'm sorry Master Ezlo. For speaking out rudely."

A brief flicker of relief passed over the black eyes almost hidden behind the white bushy brows, but they still held some worry. "Apologies accepted. But I still don't understand –"

"Can you do me a favor Master Ezlo?" Vaati interrupted. Ezlo shut up and cautiously nodded his head.

"Why certainly."

"Leave me alone? Please?"

"Well…er…" Ezlo panicked. How did parents usually deal with this sort of behavior? Was it his business to pry what was bothering Vaati, or would that entail lying since he had said he would do Vaati a favor? What if Vaati thought he was being too nosey? He didn't want to be the mean parent that Vaati would come to hate, nor did he want to spoil the boy. _What do I do? What do I say?_ Before he could answer, Vaati decided for him.

"Thanks Master Ezlo," he said, and shut the door.

Ezlo stared at the closed door for a few minutes. Sighing sadly, he returned to his study. _Why can't Vaati trust me yet?_

XXXXXXXX

School was as hellish as Vaati imagined it was going to be. Delta had gotten over his cold and as soon as the two had a chance to talk, the conversation about sledding had come up. Vaati could tell his friend was trying to pretend it didn't bother him that Vaati had hung out with his crush without him over the weekend.

"So you went sledding huh?"

"Yeah. We wanted you to come with us but –"

"But I had a stupid cold. Yeah. It's not a big deal…it happens."

Vaati watched Delta take out his notebook for the lecture and then begin to tear out small bits of paper from the corners. He felt uncomfortable that his friend was feeling glum so Vaati looked elsewhere around the room. He caught Kari blatantly looking his way from across the class and smile when he noticed. _Frick._ He quickly turned back to Delta and clenched his hands into a fist when he saw that Delta had noticed Kari looking at Vaati as well. _Here it comes._

"You had fun though." Delta said flatly.

"Sure…" Vaati said carefully, not wanting to offend. "But we would have had more fun if you had been there."

Delta cocked his head once unconvincingly, leaving Vaati to wonder what was going on in his head for the rest of the morning. Recess didn't make things any better.

In fact, things got worse when the brunette girl made a beeline for Vaati and kidnapped him. "Vaati c'mere! I want to show you something!"

_Oh for the love of Nayru…_

"Maybe later Kari. I need to talk to Delta first."

Kari pouted and pretended to be upset. "Well, don't leave me waiting."

Vaati's lips pressed tightly until they were thin lines. "So don't wait. Go find someone else to talk to in the meanwhile." He didn't wait for Kari's response – he wasn't interested anyway. Vaati nervously made his way towards Delta who had been watching him from their usual spot by the moss-covered rock. His friend didn't look happy with his arms crossed in front of him. Vaati flinched when Delta spoke.

"She likes _you_," he sneered, half hurt and half angry. "I'm beginning to wonder if you two actually missed me last weekend."

"Of course we did!" Vaati exclaimed, now upset himself. "Delta, I don't like her."

Delta huffed. "Really? You seemed pretty eager to go talk to her last week."

"I was trying to show you how easy it is to go up and start a conversation with somebody!" Vaati threw his hands up in exasperation. "I might have been a little overconfident with my new robes and I probably shouldn't have done anything because you didn't want me to go talk."

Delta suddenly stood up and walked away.

"Delta wait…"

His friend shrugged. "Sorry Vaati. It looks likes your new friend wants to talk to you."

Vaati paled when he saw Kari running up to him and calling his name. She wanted to know if he would join a game of four squares with her friends. He pinched the bridge of his nose. _Things keep getting better and better_.

XXXXXXXX

When Vaati finally made it home away from all the drama going on at school, he flopped over the couch in relief. Of course Ezlo mistook him for being lazy so he retreated back to his room and shut himself inside in response to being reprimanded. In Vaati's opinion, Kari was a problematically hopeless girl who just didn't get it. During recess, he had attempted to nicely tell her that she was just a friend.

She took it as "going to be even better friends in the future."

He then hinted Delta was a nice guy. Why not go talk to him instead?

She said Vaati was more fun. Cue giggles here.

In a fit of frustration, Vaati resorted to being a total jerk. He clearly told her he didn't like her. At all.

She thought he was "in denial."

What. The. Hell.

He needed to think of something fast, because he could tell his friendship with Delta was becoming strained. He'd thought that telling Kari flat out that he didn't like her would do the trick, but she wouldn't believe him. What could he do?

Vaati rested his chin on his hands as he thought for a little while. He reached out and grabbed one of the books he was supposed to be reading and absentmindedly flipped its pages. The rhythmic 'fwip' coming from the flipping pages continued for several minutes until they gradually slowed to a stop. Vaati perked up. _That's it._

He can become unavailable. Then she'll give up and Delta would believe him that he wasn't being a douche. He really wasn't interested in any girls at the moment, so the best thing to do was to ask someone who he knew wouldn't be interested in him as well. He'll ask them to pretend to like him in front of Kari so she'll become discouraged.

One person came to mind: Bentari's girlfriend Ria. She was a reasonable girl and wouldn't betray Bentari, and he knew she would understand the problem he was in. Vaati would make it very, VERY clear to Bentari that he wasn't trying to steal away Ria to avoid further problems. Ria would help.

Vaati grabbed his jacket and ran outside, paying no heed to Ezlo's calls asking where he was going. Looking back on things later, Vaati realized he had overlooked several obvious flaws in his plan to get rid of Kari. He must have been desperate to not see them at the time.

XXXXXXXXX

Ria opened the door to a purple-robed apprentice who was slightly out of breath from running to her house. His breath came out in small white puffs in the biting cold and his shoulders were white with snowflakes. "Vaati? Are you all right?"

Vaati grinned sheepishly. "Sort of. Not really…"

"Well, what's up? Come inside, it's cold out."

Vaati followed Ria to the living room where there was a cozy hearth lighting up the wall with a comfortable orange glow. After quick introductions to her family, her mother brought both of them a mug of hot chocolate. Ria watched her visitor huff into his mug several times, reluctant to begin talking. She twirled her brown ponytail around her fingers, waiting. Finally, Vaati took a big sigh. "I'm in trouble, and I was wondering if you could help me."

"Sure I can help you. It depends on what you need me to do, but I'll try my best to help."

So Vaati began explaining what had happened between him, Delta, and Kari the past weekend. Ria patiently listened as he went over how he had planned to get his friend to overcome his shyness and how his plan had backfired. He told her how he had tried to make it clear he wasn't interested in Kari in any way and how that had failed as well. Ria covered her mouth in a snicker.

"I'm sorry," she apologized when Vaati glared, offended. "It's just that I didn't expect you to come to me with girl problems."

"I didn't come here to be laughed at," Vaati said indignantly.

"I'm sorry. Please continue. You said you wanted me to help? Where do I come in?"

"Well…" Vaati stalled, trying to choose his words carefully. He bit his lip. "You're really close with Bentari, right?"

Ria scrunched her brows together at the unexpected question. "Yeah. He's my best friend."

"And you trust each other?"

"Of course we trust each other." Her dark eyes narrowed. "What are you getting at?"

"So that means that if you pretend to like me and I pretend to like you in front of Kari, it shouldn't cause problems right? Because you trust each other?"

Ria blanched. She almost coughed out her hot chocolate all over Vaati's face. "You want me…to pretend to like you…in front of Kari?" she asked quietly, dumbfounded.

Vaati nodded. "Exactly. Then she'll give up on me."

"I don't know…"

"It'll only be temporary. In the meanwhile, help her look at Delta and not me?"

"Um."

"Think of it as doing me a favor? I'm desperate right now."

"I…I suppose I can. It's only pretending...I'll ask Bentari what he thinks…" Ria rose, flustered by the request. Wondering about what to do, she glanced back at Vaati. The boy had visibly relaxed and was lounging on the sofa, relieved that he had at least made his request. His face was flushed orange from the sudden temperature change from being outside and coming indoors, accentuating his self satisfied smile.

"Thanks Ria. I'm glad I have a friend like you."

The smile was so disarming that Ria couldn't help but smile back in return, regardless of how absurd the entire situation was. "Don't worry Vaati. I said I'll try my best to help you."

XXXXXXXXX

_I did it! Now she'll never bother me again, stupid girl!_ It was about two weeks and a half since he had asked Ria to help him, and Kari had finally given up on him. He knew she probably wasn't completely over him, but at least she wasn't bugging him so obviously anymore. _Kukukukuku_. He snickered to himself in his success. _My idea was PERFECT._ He and Ria watched Kari dejectedly move away from their field of vision. Once she was out of sight he waved happily at Ria. "Thanks again Ria! I'll see you tomorrow!"

Ria tilted her head slightly. "Oh? Oh…right. Goodbye Vaati! It was nice talking to you today, too." She waved back and moved off to join her friends who were waiting for her.

Vaati smiled, satisfied. _And to top it all off I made a new friend._ Still thinking about how smoothly his plan had gone, he wandered off to find Delta. They hadn't talked since their last confrontation about Kari, and Vaati was eager to set things right again. He was sure Delta would finally notice how Vaati wasn't interested in stealing away Kari after all. Vaati found the redhead talking intently with Bentari. He felt a twinge of sadness when he thought of how they had stopped talking to each other, but whatever. All this was going to be fixed soon enough. As soon as Delta saw Vaati, he walked up to him. Vaati went off to meet him halfway there.

"I was looking for you!"

They both stared at each other as they blurted out simultaneously. However, one was said cheerfully while the other sounded quite angry. Vaati stopped short when Delta watched him with a steely gaze. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, _friend_." The last word was spoken as though it had no right to belong in the sentence.

Flinching, Vaati held out both hands in the air in the universal sign of peace. "Look, Delta, I'm sorry if I've ever offended you. Please don't be angry with me – what happened wasn't what I expected and I didn't mean to hurt our friendship. But see? Kari won't talk to me anymore. I was never interested, Delta, I spoke the truth. Can we go back to being friends now?" He was shocked when an angry hiss escaped Delta's lips.

"Friends? With _you?_ It's not just about Kari anymore Vaati. What you're doing disgusts me."

"What…" Vaati trailed off in shock.

"Bentari wants to talk to you."

A dark haired boy with a blue scarf wrapped around his face walked up to Vaati and stopped next to Delta. There was a small cut on his forehead where he had gotten injured from doing something outside, and he was a few centimeters taller than Vaati. Vaati thought he knew what was coming when Ria's boyfriend sized him up.

"You know what you're doing, freak?"

"What did you just call me?!"

"Hey, Bentari, none of that." Delta came to Vaati's defense but his frown told the pale boy that he still wasn't forgiven. Vaati growled angrily at Bentari.

"You're talking about Ria, right? She said she explained what we were doing and that you knew perfectly well that she was just trying to help me."

Bentari tsked and spat in the snow. "Oh, yeah, she explained all right. Said how she wanted to help you or whatever."

"Yeah. She's helping me because she's a good friend. I'm not trying to take her away from you if that's what you're getting at."

"And that's exactly what I'm getting at," Bentari snarled. "Do you know what you've done? Intentionally or not you've taken her from me and I resent that."

Vaati was confused. "But she doesn't like me like that."

Bentari scoffed cynically. "But she does." He brought his face inches away from Vaati's so that their noses were barely touching. "Did she tell you she broke up with me?"

Vaati shrunk instantly as his confidence simmered and slithered away. He opened his mouth to say something but no words would come out. He gasped, then choked, and then managed to cough weakly "really?" Vaati found that he had trouble looking at the other two in the eyes. _Just when I thought I had everything handled._ He turned to Delta for help but his friend just shook his head in disappointment.

"I want to trust you, Vaati, but you're being a jerk not only to me but to Bentari, too. No one looks kindly on thieves."

"But…" Vaati watched helplessly as Bentari grumbled and stomped away. He felt Delta put a hand on his shoulder. It wasn't a "I'm with you," hand but a "you're on your own" hand.

"Help me out too, ok Vaati? Show me you're still the friend I thought you were?"

Vaati nodded, and then followed Delta back inside to school when recess ended. _That's what I've been trying to do these past few weeks…_

XXXXXXXXXX

_Stupid Delta, stupid Bentari, stupid Ezlo, stupid Kari, stupid Ria – _back at home, Vaati shoveled through the twenty volumes Ezlo had given him to read. _Stupid girls!_

At the moment he had no respect whatsoever for girls and their giggly nonsense. Nor did he have respect for the guys who made such a big deal out of them. In fact, he probably had no respect whatsoever for anyone at this point.

He looked at each title and set them aside when it wasn't the one he was looking for. It was a book he had flipped through once and he remembered there had been something in it that could help him in his newest plan. At last, he came across the book he had been looking for: Enchantments and Charms for Beginners. Vaati laid the book across his lap, licked his thumb, and began to peruse through the pages.

_Ah, here it is_. He placed a finger on the page teaching readers the steps to necessary to enchant someone into liking them. Vaati began to read.

_What…this isn't a spell at all!_ He thought when the book basically told him that well placed confidence was the key. He should have expected it from a beginner's book: from what he had read, most of the 'spells' in those books involved little to no magic. _Well, confidence shouldn't be a problem_.

Closing his book, he made his way to the bathroom to take a look in the mirror. Crimson eyes stared back through sheer lavender hair, and Vaati observed his unusually pale face for a little bit. There had been a time when the only thing he had liked about himself was the curious crescent-shaped black birthmark under his eyes because he knew his looks were probably why his parents abandoned him. There had been a time when everyone at the orphanage had ridiculed him, and even a brief time when the kids at school had done so as well.

But he had one thing most of the people he met didn't have.

Vaati let himself grin rather nastily in the mirror.

True egocentric confidence. Not the fake kind that people often mistake bragging snoots to have but the real kind where no bragging is required. People like Vaati with true (nearly megalomaniacal) confidence do not brag because they don't give a flip on what other people think of them.

When someone is that confident they end up attracting at least some respect, which is what had happened in Vaati's case. The minish that had once jeered at him had stopped when he made to pay no heed to them. He had the ability to make them feel ridiculous with a pitying look.

If Ezlo had seen Vaati then, he would have seen a glimpse of someone different from the boy he had first taken in for apprenticeship. The boy with narrowed eyes and a cynical grin was different from the one who had first stepped into his new home with anticipation and cautious excitement. However, it was only a glimpse, for Vaati's expression was quickly replaced by his usual 'normal' look: a blank, unreadable face with a tinge of worry from his current predicament, revealed by his twitching cheek.

Turning away from the mirror, he went back to his room and tossed the book onto his bed. Then, he went to the living room to finish some chores Ezlo had assigned him earlier. _If all the freaking girls are going to end up liking me then I'm going to get it over with early._

It was better to tackle what he thought was the inevitable early on. Before the girls ended up liking him on their own, he was going to make every single one of them like him at once and proceed from there. Then, in the future, he would have no more problems because he would have succeeded in making them hate him.

How was he going to make them hate him? Easy. Jealousy would take care of that naturally.

As for Delta and Bentari, he figured it was something they would get over once things calmed down. All they really cared about were Kari and Ria respectively, right? Once they got those two back things could return to what it had been before this whole mess started.

Vaati was in a foul mood. He was desperate to set things right…

Which probably explained his rash behavior.

* * *

fleets: More of later Vaati characters showing up, but no, this isn't where he snaps. It's still too early for him to be snapping :P

**Shadow Blues: **No it won't :( It's all downhill from here (still I like Hylian Vaati better lol)

**Reily96: **His logic isn't sound, but it'll turn him into what he is later - and he's cooler that way...'cept no, it's not going to go well...

**101: **The very same robe - well, the design changes a little but the purple's still purple. I probably didn't like the chapter because it was too predictable for me for my liking...but I needed it to set up this chapter and the next ones, which I like a whole lot better because they're not so cliche.

**Darkwind: **) he tried, succeeded (?kindanotreally) and will now be a jerk to all girls! bwahaha...er...hmmm...

**H-Bomber: **You put my dilemma into words! Cliche - I think that's exactly why I didn't like the last chapter so much. Hopefully the upcoming segments will remedy that...we'll see...

**Bishieluver01: **lol womanizer is going to appear in the next one, I think, though you can kinda see it in this one. He's in trouble! (and making a bigger mess out of it from the looks of it)

**Victoria-BlackHeart: **I hope you like what's coming, then, because it's all downhill from here :)

**Peka The Corsair: **He's a proud little thing. When will he learn that overconfidence is his downfall? Oh wait, this is just the beginning so he can't know that yet. XD

**marium: **Thanks! Yeahhh it's only going to get worse for those two :(

**Mona-D: **If you've read my rant at the top... ehehe I don't try to make them gushy on purpose so no, I didn't realize it was kinda gay. I based them off of two guys I knew from elementary school, and I guess you can say they acted 'fruity.' Some people might have said they had a 'bromance,' but in the end it was just two best friends. I don't think those two acting 'fruity' would be a problem anymore though from the way this story's going. Anyways, happy to hear you like this story so far :D


	14. Falling

**Chapter 14: Falling**

"Wake up Master Ezlo. I said _wake up!_"

"Hwa?" Ezlo rubbed his eyes and squinted as he tried to get a better look at his apprentice. He was met with a deep contemptuous frown he was getting used to seeing on Vaati's face.

"It's spring, Master Ezlo." Did Ezlo imagine it, or was there sarcasm along with the title 'master?'

"Yes?"

"And you still haven't taught me any magic."

Ezlo sighed. Vaati's frown had begun to bother him these past few months. It had gradually increased in frequency until it seemed as though that was all Vaati ever did. He had inquired a few times to see if Vaati was all right, but the apprentice only waved him away with a look that clearly said it wasn't his business. Ezlo couldn't think of what was up with Vaati, and even Ms. Tutari explained that nothing seemed particularly wrong with him in school. Apparently he was very popular with the students in his class – well, at least with the girls. Vaati was always laughing and surrounded by girls, and Ms. Tutari was nearly shocked when she learned how Vaati was behaving in his home. Nearly. She did think that at times Vaati looked a little fake.

Ezlo didn't know why Vaati appeared unhappy at home. _But if he won't tell me, how can I possibly know? _Ezlo thought stubbornly. The sage got up from the sofa he had been napping on and turned his back on Vaati to grab his cane. From the corner of his eye he noticed his apprentice roll his eyes in disdain as soon as he thought Ezlo wasn't looking at him.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, boy."

Vaati stiffened, but managed to bow humbly. "I'm sorry Master Ezlo. I will never do that again."

It sounded genuine, but almost too genuine. Also during the last few months, Vaati had become ridiculously polite to Ezlo in a way that the sage suspected was somewhat mocking. Ezlo couldn't say anything about that, however – for what sane reason would a parent chide their children for being too polite? Perhaps Ezlo wasn't trusting Vaati enough. He remembered Miss Britta's words on how she had failed in believing in Vaati and how she had wanted Ezlo to succeed where she had failed. Both Ezlo and Vaati needed to trust each other more: lack of trust was the biggest culprit in failing relationships.

_Vaati's not making things any easier though…_

"Something's bothering you," Ezlo began cautiously, knowing he was broaching a touchy subject. "You can tell me, Vaati. I won't think any worse of you if you are having problems. No one is perfect."

For a split second, there was the 'it's none of your business' look on Vaati's face but it was soon replaced by the all too cheerful façade Ezlo had become used to seeing. "I'm not bothered by anything, Master Ezlo. I was simply wondering when I would start learning actual spells."

"Don't lie to me, boy. Do you think I haven't noticed you glowering at everything these days? Where has my happy Vaati gone?" Ezlo asked sadly.

"He's right here. I'm perfectly happy." Again, something was a little off with the way Vaati said it.

"Is it because you are impatient to learn magic? I told you it's a dangerous practice that requires patience above all else."

"No, it's not because of that. Though it will be nice if I learned something for a change," Vaati snapped much to Ezlo's surprise. The apprentice faltered, realizing he had lost his composure, but then quickly smiled apologetically to make up for his slip. "I'm sorry Master Ezlo. I know I'm a little rude these days but I'm preoccupied by problems at school. It's making me edgy."

The snappiness – that had also begun to appear more and more with Vaati. It worried Ezlo because he felt that every day he was losing the boy that had been a sweet innocent thing when he had first arrived. At the moment, Ezlo didn't know what to be more shocked of – the fact that Vaati had shot out like an angry snake or the fact that Vaati seemed willing for the first time to talk about what was bothering him.

Ezlo prompted Vaati to continue.

"Ah, well, it's just that all these girls follow me everywhere I go and I don't know what to do about it." Vaati shrugged and smiled as though his 'problem' wasn't really a problem.

Ezlo raised one bushy brow. "Er…that seems…like a very troublesome problem indeed." He wasn't sure if Vaati was telling him the truth or was warping it somehow. Heck, with Vaati these days it was possible the kid was purposely lying to mock him. Ezlo shook his head sadly. _Since when did I become so distrustful of Vaati?_ He scolded himself. _From now on I'm going to leave my doubts behind! Vaati is a good boy – it would be unfair of me to treat him with caution as though he were a troublemaker. _

"Yeah. So, if we can go back to the subject of my apprenticeship…"

Was this really an eight, almost nine-year-old speaking? Some days it seemed to Ezlo that it was Vaati who was ordering him about and not the other way around. From his immense amount of reading, Vaati had also taken up a very adult way of talking with vocabulary unusual for a child. _It's just his prideful personality showing through. He's not really a follower type, _Ezlo reasoned.

"Can you please teach me how to do magic?"

Ezlo sighed heavily. Yes, Vaati was more mature than most kids his age but he wasn't even ten yet. Apprentice sages were meant to learn magic after at least two years of book learning and not even a year of apprenticeship had passed yet. He could see Vaati had the talent but…Ezlo was a man of convention. "It's too early, boy. I guarantee you will hurt yourself."

The sage was not expecting the scorching glare from his apprentice. He did not think Vaati was capable of that kind of chilling expression.

"Master Ezlo, I've read the books you've given me. I even read some of the ones you didn't assign! I want to learn magic," he said stiffly.

Ezlo shook his head 'no.'

"And why not?! You said you'll teach me if I did all my readings! I proved proficiency!"

"And that was very impressive of you. I certainly did not expect you to finish all of the readings in less than a year. I still don't know how you managed to do it."

"You're dodging the question, _Master_ Ezlo!"

"Enough! What kind of insolence is this?!" Ezlo roared, his patience running thin. Vaati shrank away from his master, surprised at himself for pushing it this far. He had never seen Ezlo look so angry before.

"I'm sorry Master Ezlo," he squeaked.

"Where did you learn to be so disrespectful like that?" Ezlo muttered. Vaati watched his master carefully before he asked quietly one last time:

"So…no magic?"

"No!" Ezlo's reply came out harsher than he had intended. He hurriedly added, "It's too early. You could hurt yourself. You wouldn't be able to control it. I don't want a dead boy in my arms, Vaati."

A few minutes of quiet passed and neither of them spoke a word. Finally, Vaati gave a thin smile and bowed. "I'm sorry for bothering you, Master Ezlo."

Ezlo watched the door to his office close. After Vaati had gone, he took a deep breath. _What am I to do with you, boy?_

XXXXXXXXX

"Some kind of apprenticeship this is, huh?" Vaati said aloud once he was back in his room. He was skipping out on chores today because he didn't feel like doing them. Besides, it wasn't as though that lazy old geezer was going to notice they weren't done. Vaati tossed his hat over his shoulder and leaned against the wall, thinking.

"The only thing master notices anyways is to ask me if anything is wrong. Huh, like it's _his_ stupid business. Nosing about, always, _always_ asking questions and only questions," the boy muttered bitterly. "Is anything wrong boy? Are you happy boy? Did you do your homework boy? Boy, why are you frowning? _DIN'S FIRE_."

Vaati shook his head. At least Ezlo might lighten up his interrogations after Vaati told him a little about his problems at school. Of course it was kind of a joke, but hey, what can Ezlo say? That his problems weren't really problems? Nah, the old man wouldn't say that to him – he'd only stop his questions.

Vaati also marveled at how easy it had become dealing with people ever since he had taken time to pay attention to the Enchantments and Charms for Beginners book. Not only did he have an easier time handling girls but he could also slide out of trouble with almost everyone else. As long as he could keep his head level and be as ridiculously polite as he could be, other people found it difficult to find fault with him. Vaati always had to suppress a snigger when Ezlo would back off with a confused expression during an argument when he had no choice but to take Vaati's super polite speech. It would be easier to be angry with someone who's shouting and screaming at you, but no, Vaati kept his voice extremely civil if possible.

It wasn't that Vaati didn't like Master Ezlo. He actually liked him more than he would care to admit, but it was just annoying that Master Ezlo still didn't understand him at all. Ezlo just wasn't the type of person who would go out of his way to understand other people, and the old coot expected other people to think like him. It was extremely annoying, and being stuck with him in a house was trying at times.

The conversation today pretty much proved it. Despite all of his accomplishments in completing his assignments, Ezlo still thought he wasn't ready for a spell. Vaati had done what Ezlo thought wasn't possible – to finish all his readings in less than a year – and yet in the sage's eyes he was still a frail, incapable thing that couldn't learn magic yet. Why? He wasn't weak…he could do it. He knew everything there was about basic sorcery, and at this point he would have bet everything he had that in some subjects he knew more than the sage himself.

"Could you recite entire chapters from a book, Master Ezlo? Because I can. I was ready. I was more than ready and you wouldn't believe me…"

Come to think of it, what exactly did Master Ezlo do? He always claimed he was so busy with something and locked himself up in his office, but every time Vaati knocked on his door he found him napping on the couch. There was one time when Vaati had answered the door because Master Ezlo wouldn't get it. A scholarly minish had asked if Ezlo was here and that he needed to talk about some festival or whatever that was going to be important in around four years. When Vaati had gone to get Ezlo, the sage had been sleeping yet again, and when he introduced himself to the minish Vaati heard him lie that he had been researching some tomes on the golden power.

What if…what if Ezlo was just a faker? How depressing would that be?

Vaati let his head rest against the wall.

Whatever the deal was with Master Ezlo, he knew there was only one way to progress further.

Vaati was on his own.

XXXXXXXXX

Vaati didn't know what actually caused him to start skipping school. It could have been the revelation that Master Ezlo wasn't going to help him and that he needed to learn on his own, but he suspected it was mostly because of the stressful situation he had created at school. At first he thought his reckless little plan was nothing short of genius, but then things started to become sticky and he began to feel an increasing need to stay away from school. It wasn't his fault girls were dumb and that he was too good, he told himself stubbornly.

And Delta, Bentari, and the rest of them were idiots.

It had started out fine:

"Oh Vaati, I wish all the other guys were like you!"

"Yeah! They're either mean to us or fall to pieces when they talk to us."

"Heehee, remember when Kotari suddenly had to run to the bathroom when Fretta said 'hi?'"

"What a dork!"

"Say Vaati, who do you like? Do you like anybody?"

"He likes me."

"Knock it off Ria, he _so_ doesn't. Besides, whatever happened to Bentari huh?"

"Bentari's too bossy. I don't like him anymore."

Grinning, Vaati observed the catfight unfold. It was fun to watch. Occasionally, the girls would round on him after a squabble.

"Vaati! Who do you like anyway?"

"You're killing us!"

He would shrug and, with the best smile he could muster he'd say apologetically, "Does it have to be one person? I like everyone the same."

"…"

"Come on Pari, why do you have to look so depressed?"

"He hugged – "

"That's not fair!"

"Vaati hug me too!"

It would happen every day at recess until it escalated to the point it got annoying for Vaati. In the beginning it was kind of fun due to the novelty of it, but after a while it became a little boring. Kari had lost complete interest in Vaati the flirt at this point, and he had misjudged Delta when he had expected him to come around and stop being angry with him. Instead, a coalition of jealous boys had formed, and Vaati had become completely alienated from his old friends.

He didn't care. His plan wasn't finished anyway.

So after a few weeks of shooting down his idolizers with a caustic remark or two (while smiling, of course), he had managed to get all the girls in class to love him and hate him at the same time – he doubted he would ever be able to keep them from liking him but at least they held some sort of hate now.

His great idea didn't turn out so great, and in the end, he found himself without any friends and gained the reputation of backstabbing bastard. It was completely different from what he had been expecting: Vaati, Delta, Bentari, and the rest apologizing for being upset and laughing everything off (now he realized how stupid his whole idea had been, but it was a little too late for that).

_But it WASN'T my fault._ Vaati clenched his fists angrily. _If they weren't so stupid, none of this would have happened._

How he hated school. The more he thought of it, the less it made sense for him to continue going there. _I mean, the whole point was to meet kids my age, not to learn. Well, forget it, because I've got a new project to do: learn magic. That'll show Ezlo. He'll be so shocked when I show him all the things I learn to do ALL BY MYSELF._

_School is useless. Everyone there just makes me feel tired and I'm wasting my time. Even Delta's getting on my nerves because he's so obsessed by how he thinks I'm a girl thief. The guys can have all the girls for all I care, giggly, annoying things. It's their fault they don't have the guts to talk to them anyway. _

_Forget school. _

_I'm going to do my own thing. _

Ah yes, that was it. He had stopped going to school because it was useless and he had better things to do. Vaati was determined to be the best sorcerer in the world. He was going to get Ezlo to see his mistake in thinking Vaati wasn't ready, and perhaps get Delta to realize how wrong he had been while he was away from school. He was going to show them. He was going to show all of them.

The fools.

And no one was going to stop him until he succeeded.

* * *

fleets: And so, in less than a year Vaati is already starting to show his awesome evil...I mean...his bad side. :)  
But dang, Ezlo must have narcolepsy or something - he sleeps so much! Ah well, there's a reason to that (and it's not because I was too uncreative and lazy to think of something else Ezlo could have been doing), Vaati just hasn't discovered why yet. :o  
Can we say Vaati has snapped yet? Eh, I guess, but I would say not quite yet. I actually don't really know for sure anymore.

**marium:** And yup, what he did turned out to be a bad choice :(

**DarkLinkvsRaineSagefan101: **Vaati has changed a ton, and yes, he will eventually turn into that evil scary (coughawesomecough) sorcerer in BC. You can kinda see 'older Vaati' in the last few paragraphs. If you squint a little. :D

**Reily96: **Heehee he says he doesn't like the girlies in this chapter but he loves fooling around and getting all that attention XD. Of course he doesn't think _he_ is the one to blame. Oh no.  
The plz faces make me lol (but come to think of it I haven't used one yet. hmmmm now would be a good time to start) :)

**Shadow Blues: **He's bit off more than he could chew and yet he still won't admit it was kinda his fault. :/ I totally did not realize I submitted it on Canada day XD

**Bishieluver01: **Well, after all these problems with the fairer sex it's no wonder he has little respect for the ladies XD (even though he enjoyes toying with them, the power hungry yet loveable jerk)

**Victoria-BlackHeart: **As sad as it is to see him start to fall apart, I'm enjoying writing these chapters more than the previous ones :)

**Peka The Corsair:** I FINALLY made it all the way here where his personality starts to change. I oh so badly wanted to get here, so I'm happy that I finally did (as sad as it is).


	15. The Book Thief

**Chapter 15: The Book Thief**

Summer was a season for doing good deeds for the big people. During this time there was always a sense of excited energy throughout the Minish village as each and every member took part in some project or another. The school handled the main projects because they had the excited and energetic students for help. The older grades took care of the slightly dangerous job of placing rupees in the tall grass that grew near the big people's village, and the oldest ones had the duty of sneaking into one of their homes to drop red or blue rupees into jars or under beds. It was the pride of every young minish when they were able to brag about how they had dropped rupees for the big people during the summer.

Vaati's grade, being one of the younger grades in the school, had the task of constructing a doll for one of the girls in the village. It sounded fun to do, but who was he kidding? He had better things to do like…like getting started with magic. Yeah. That was better than going back to school where all those idiots were. He hoped Kari stuck herself with a needle.

Vaati snuck around between houses and kept away from windows lest someone should see him. In his hand he held a letter addressed to Ms. Tutari from 'Sage Ezlo.' It read:

_Dear Ms. Tutari:_

_I am sorry to say Vaati will no longer be attending school, as he will be studying with me. I realize he is a highly competent student and I feel I will be able to push him more to his limits if he is able to have specialized attention. Therefore, I plan to home school him and start teaching him the magical arts as I feel he has finally reached the next step in his apprenticeship. Thank you for teaching him thus far. _

_Yours truly,_

_Sage Ezlo_

If only Ezlo had actually written that. Pah, of course not. This letter was the product of painstakingly careful forgery by Vaati. He didn't need Master Ezlo to know he was skipping school, nor did he want Ms. Tutari coming to his home and asking his master why Vaati wasn't going to school anymore. Copying the letter had been time consuming but not impossible. All it had taken was for him to collect a few notes Ezlo had written – such as the dinner notes he left for him on the table whenever he returned from school – and to study them enough times to get a hang of his master's writing quirks. Trying to sound sophisticated was a little difficult at first, but after a few comparisons with his copy and some of Ezlo's notes he had managed to piece together some adult sounding sentences that could have come from Ezlo's mouth.

He cautiously approached the mud and grass patched house near the school and made sure no one was watching him. All he needed right now was someone to catch him sneaking about, neither at school nor with Master Ezlo. Dropping the fake letter into the mailbox, Vaati hurried away from sight.

XXXXXXXX

_That's that taken care of._

Vaati crouched next to an overgrowth of tall grass that was a little ways away from the minish village. He leaned back and rested against a rock until he was staring up at the clouds speeding away determinedly in the wind. His bag was squished between the rock and his back, bumpy with the books he had brought along. _Huh, clouds move faster than you'd think they do. _

Vaati watched the clouds some more before he got up and picked up his bag of books again. He wasn't going to school and he couldn't go back to the flowerpot home. He knew where to go though.

He pushed away the grass and squeezed his way through until his feet reached a thin path through the blades. Vaati walked with a sense of purpose, occasionally shifting his shoulders with the weight of the books. Finally, the grass gradually thinned and he found himself stepping between decaying leaves that were still soft from summer rain. The air smelled faintly of mushrooms and he stopped from time to time to make sure he was going the right way. At long last he made it to a clump of clovers growing at the base of a gigantic tree and he hopped over to the four-leaf-clover that stuck out like a flag. Skidding down into the cracks underneath the roots of the tree, Vaati went inside the secret base he and Delta had found a while ago.

It had still remained the jumbled mess they had left it before the two had stopped frequenting the base. With a frown, Vaati tossed away the collection of big people's papers and other things they had once brought with eagerness. He didn't much care for those things anymore.

Vaati dropped his bag with a thud and began to flick through some of the books he had brought. Today's lesson was to skim over potential material he was going to go by when he attempted his first spells.

XXXXXXXX

Ezlo groaned when he was woken again from the sound of his cane falling on the floor with a loud clank. _Did I fall asleep again?_ This wasn't good. If he wanted to finish this project before the Picori Festival that was due in four years, he could not afford to waste precious time sleeping. Terrari had warned him that he was pushing himself too hard by working through the day and most of the night on it, and he was beginning to feel his colleague had been right after he found himself napping when he least expected it. If not for poor Vaati waking him up for some errand Ezlo feared he would have slept through the entire week in tiredness.

Grunting, the sage held up the red hat he had been working on. He had finally been able to complete enchanting the special order thread made from kargaroc feathers (_and was that a pain to do – all those weeks of fitting mothula's dust between strands…_), so could now get started on stitching it through the cloth of the hat. Ezlo didn't look forward to the massive amounts of time he was going to have to spend incorporating the thread into the hat base, but he was determined to have the final product. It was going to be his greatest creation and the greatest gift of the minish to the Hylians.

It was the Wishing Cap.

A cap that would grant any wish its wearer desired. Ever since he had looked into the legend of the golden power he had believed he could recreate or at least mimic it. With persistent research, he had found a way that could make the wish granting abilities of the golden power replicable and he had decided to go about making the wonderful hat.

Ezlo knew that the cap was not without risks. What if it misinterpreted the wish of the wearer, or worse, fell into evil hands? At times the sage wondered if he was better off not creating such a potentially dangerous gift – after all, the goddesses had hid the golden power because it was too powerful - but he was lulled by the enormity of creating such a wonderful thing. The biggest question he wanted to answer was – "is it possible?"

At the moment, it seemed _very_ possible. The acquisition of several magical objects such as the thread, the golden scales of the legendary rope, the band made from pure melted force gems, and a prized jewel given to him by the Great Butterfly Fairy herself, had certainly helped. All he needed now was the time to put everything together perfectly so each magical part complemented the other parts in the way he wanted it to work.

Ezlo put a hand over his mouth to cover a tired yawn and then resumed work again. He hoped Vaati wouldn't mind waking him up again if he ended up falling asleep on his work for the umpteenth time.

XXXXXXX

_Drat. _

Vaati came home around the usual hour he returned and took a quick glance at Master Ezlo's office. It was shut closed as always. Like any other day he made his way to his room to drop off his stuff, and he knew later on he would knock on his master's door to let him know he was home. Of course the sage would be asleep yet again, lazy coot.

Before he went upstairs he made a detour to the kitchen and snatched a cracker from the table. He nibbled on the corner with a thoughtful look and he went up each step on the stair with slow deliberation. He had used his day to look over the material that Ezlo had granted him access to, but they were all introductory books that barely had anything on real sorcery. Most of the things were along the level of the 'enchantment' technique described in the Enchantments and Charms book that, quite frankly, required little more than careful observation. Manipulation: he had no idea he was going to come to love that concept in the years to come.

At the moment, however, he couldn't appreciate the power of 'enchanting without magic.' He needed more guidance than what the resources he had were currently giving him. He needed something more…advanced.

_Ezlo's office. He has books._

Vaati had seen those velvet books while he had been helping his master put them away. Master Ezlo treated them a little differently than the others, and from the way he handled them Vaati could tell they were special. He wasn't sure how much of the advanced stuff he would be able to handle, but he wasn't going to know that until he gave it a shot, right? He was just going to…borrow them…for a little while and take a peek. Vaati wasn't going to ask though: Master Ezlo didn't need to know what he was up to.

Vaati picked up his bag and slunk back down to his master's room. He opened the door a crack to make sure Master Ezlo wasn't awake – he was sure his master would be asleep but it didn't hurt to be cautious. Satisfied that the sage wasn't going to be waking up any time soon, Vaati made his way to the bookshelf. Placing a stepstool so he could reach the higher ledges, he glanced back from time to time to check on Master Ezlo.

He reached up and picked the first book on the top shelf, suppressing a sneeze as dust feathers fluttered down. He noted it was a green book, and taking a green book of his own from the bag he replaced his new book with his old beginner's book. One by one he replaced all the books on the top shelf and some on the second with the beginner's books he had brought until his bag was full of Master Ezlo's prized books. _This should be good for now._

Vaati quietly stepped down from the stool and pushed it back to its original place. The book thief slung his bag across his shoulders and angled it so that Master Ezlo wouldn't be able to see the suspiciously huge bulge that couldn't have been made from only schoolbooks. He cleared his throat.

"Master Ezlo."

The sage twitched and his head flew up hurriedly from the desk he had fallen asleep on. "Ehrm, yes?" He tried to sound respectable and made an effort to ignore the fact his apprentice had caught him napping once again.

"I thought I should wake you up. Again."

Vaati tried his best to keep his eyes from wandering over to the bookcase that had suddenly been replaced by different books.

"Ah, well, thank you m'boy. I'm sorry you always have to catch me sleeping like this."

"You sound tired, master."

"Is it noticeable? I have been rather busy."

_Tsk. Really?_

"Hwaa…well…run along then. I'll call you down for dinner today assuming I'm still awake hahaha." Ezlo yawned and waved Vaati away. The apprentice bowed and shuffled out of the room, taking care not to let his master see his bag.

Once outside Vaati gave a small, victorious grin. _That was too easy._

_

* * *

  
_

fleets: Not much to say, really. I'm kinda pooped. Apologies if my replies are a little crappy.

**Shadow Blues: **Ummmm maybe. I haven't really thought about it yet but I'll keep that in mind. :)

**Peka The Corsair: **It's going to get worse (or should I say better now that he has things under his own power?). Ah, but stealing is still stealing and there are consequences to everything :/

**Reily96: **I'm a little relieved he's not so goodsy anymore. XD

**Bishieluver01: **He's still only 8 going on 9 soon, but by the end of this story he'll be 12 so he has a few more years to go before he gets that hat for himself. Thank you~

**marium: **Ezlo is just so clueless and so absorbed in his work - he's going to regret it...

**DarkLinkvsRaineSagefan101: **:D You'll see soon :)

**Victoria-BlackHeart: **Indeed :O


	16. Tainted

fleets: wow, this turned out longer than I expected. This chapter's really important though, so I guess I should've expected it :)

* * *

**Chapter 16: Tainted**

One year later…

"What happened to you, Vaati?!" Ezlo squawked when he saw his apprentice come home from school looking disheveled with soot all over his face. The ten-year-old boy stared blankly at his master for several seconds before he wiped his face with his sleeves and gave a thin smile.

"Didn't you know? The school had a science fair today. I tried to make red potion but it exploded."

"You didn't tell me about any science fair, boy. I could have helped you with the potion, too, if you had told me about it. It's fairly simple if you do it right but explosive if you're not careful. Was everyone all right?" Ezlo turned to see Vaati retreating to his room. These days he couldn't tell if Vaati was in a hurry to go to his room because he liked his privacy or because he didn't like him…

"Yeah it wasn't a big deal. No one's hurt. I'm ok. Don't worry about it master."

No big deal? Vaati hadn't let Ezlo get a good look at him but the boy's face had appeared singed and it seemed parts of his robe had caught on fire. "Vaati, did the nurse take a look at yo-"

"Yes, yes, she did. There's nothing to worry about. Everything was taken care of."

"You seem to have burns –"

Vaati's eye peeked out from behind the door. "Please, Master Ezlo, I hate it when you fuss over me like a little kid. I can handle myself."

Ezlo hesitated. He didn't want Vaati to hate him. "All right m'boy."

The sage sighed when he heard Vaati's door click shut. He supposed he should pay a visit to Ms. Tutari to hear how the science fair had gone and to apologize for any trouble Vaati's project may have caused anyone.

What was he doing wrong? Was he just incapable of being a parental figure? Vaati had become increasingly quiet as time passed, and whenever Ezlo asked him about school he always changed the subject. Occasionally, Vaati would mention something like the science fair but if Ezlo asked questions the boy would shrug it off like it wasn't important. The only thing that could actually get the apprentice to become enthusiastic was the subject of books. There was a rare day when he and Vaati had talked for several hours on ancient books that spoke of legendary arts that were long since lost in time. Ezlo had been surprised that Vaati had been so interested in the subject and it was a time when both of them had genuinely enjoyed speaking to each other. The apprentice had sat attentively and asked many questions, some of which Ezlo couldn't even answer. He had actually looked like a boy his age then, hugging his knees together and perched on a chair, greedily absorbing every word that came out of Ezlo's mouth.

Ezlo chuckled. Well, the subject they had been speaking of wasn't anything usual at all, however. What was it? The Golden Power? The boy had wanted to know everything about its history and had been fascinated by its connection to the big people. Vaati had been surprised that it had actually existed – he had first read about it in the Swiftblade novels. The boy had rambled on and on about his favorite adventures of the hero Swiftblade before he clammed up and stopped talking, perhaps from embarrassment. For the rest of that day Vaati resumed his usual antic of shutting himself up in his room and going about the house as though Ezlo didn't exist. Ezlo had wanted to tell Vaati it was ok to be more open, but the closer he tried to get the more his apprentice retreated.

Like the time Ezlo had decided to teach Vaati how to make a healing salve. That had gone horribly wrong. It had gone well at first, and Vaati had seemed somewhat pleased that his master had finally begun to teach him the things he had read about. Once Ezlo had begun teaching, however, Vaati had suddenly become annoyed by something but wouldn't tell Ezlo what was wrong. It was as though he had suddenly remembered something unpleasant, and Vaati fell into a fit of controlled rage saying something about how he should be beyond the level of salves. It was 'controlled' because Vaati hadn't yelled or shouted or anything of the sort. It had been a disconcerting quiet that was heavy with contained frustration. Ezlo hadn't handled the situation well either; resorting to grounding Vaati in his room after the apprentice had made several rude remarks asking if his master knew anything beyond basics at all. By the time it occurred to Ezlo to ask Vaati what was bothering him it was too late and it was better off pretending it hadn't happened. Ezlo retreated to his study to work on the hat and Vaati shut himself in his room once again.

_He's just at a rebellious age. _Ezlo thought, trying to convince himself that his problem with Vaati was a stage all parents had to deal with. _It'll pass with time…_

Still, somewhere in the back of his head he knew he was just running from the problem from fear of making his relationship with Vaati even worse.

He loved that boy like his son.

It would break his heart to lose him.

XXXXXXXXXX

In a dimly lit corner of Vaati's room, a pale minish boy sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. His hands hung limply across his lap and his back rested against the wall. It had become Vaati's habit to meditate after he came back from his self-studies at the secret base, but today he needed it more than ever. Sweat rolled down the tip of his nose, and he was still a little shaken from what had happened today when he had attempted his first elemental spell.

In the past year he had spent long hours studying everything about the concepts of mastering elemental magic and until today he had been too afraid to attempt it. In all his readings, elemental magic - the flashiest and most powerful type of magic known – was described as the most difficult to master.

And with good reason: the books claimed that to control elemental magic one had to know the nature of the true self and that was a feat that was harder than it seemed. Without understanding what _he_ truly was the attempted spell would most likely control and destroy him like an untamed beast turning against its foolishly incompetent master.

Vaati hadn't really understood what it meant to understand himself, and after reading all the consequences he hadn't been in any rush to try elemental magic at all. He had been content to simply read all the materials about it and speculate in awe, imagining how it would feel if he came home one day and showed Ezlo how he had learned how to control water with his will all by himself. He had just enjoyed thinking about the shocked look on his master's face when he demonstrated his ability in performing one of the most advanced magic known.

Vaati grit his teeth as he recounted what had happened earlier that day:

"_Erakih ikuuk!" Vaati repeated after the words written on one of Ezlo's books. Nothing happened, but he hadn't expected anything to happen. Right now, he was just trying to get a feel for the words he would need to know for a blinding spell. _

"_Hmmm." He scratched his chin and then held out his hand cautiously, following the directions from the book. It was difficult to follow since there were no diagrams and its author's descriptions were obscure at best. "I wonder if it means I hold out my hand after I say the words? Or before? Or right during the middle? Do I twist my wrists to the left? How many degrees? And what does it mean, 'pretend your thumb and forefinger are suns?' I don't understand…"_

_His ears pricked up when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps and Vaati closed his book shut hurriedly when he realized the footsteps were approaching the entrance of the secret base. Vaati growled defensively. "Who's there?"_

_The footsteps stopped abruptly and the sounds in the air were reduced to tense breathing from two nervous boys. After a while, a certain redheaded minish dropped into the secret base and the two former friends held their breaths. _

"…_Vaati?"_

"_What are you doing here?" Vaati spat, making a move of putting his books away before Delta could see them. Delta stiffened and crossed his arms over his chest. _

"_I'd like to ask you the same thing. You haven't been to school in two years."_

"_School is useless. I have no need to be with people like you."_

_Delta remained silent, taking his time to observe the friend he once thought he knew so well. To a casual observer, the most drastic change in Vaati's appearance within the last two years was his hair. His pale lavender hair had grown long past his shoulders and his bangs had washed over his face so that they covered his right eye before it tapered into a sharp point below his chin. However, as a former friend and a person who had known Vaati well, the greatest change Delta noticed was Vaati's eyes. Those ruby red eyes had once held a curious enthusiasm and a welcoming light to the world. Now there were slight hints of cynicism and the compassionate warmth was beginning to be replaced by a stinging cold. It was a subtle change, but it was enough to make Delta wonder if he knew this Vaati at all. _

"_Leave, Delta. I want nothing to do with you. Why did you even come here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be with Kari now?"_

_Delta bit his lip and tried his best not to be provoked. "I didn't think you'd be here." He broke. Vaati's comments had riled him. "This was my place to begin with. I found this place first. Go play magic with your master Ezlo why don't you and go away?"_

_At this, Vaati trembled in anger though Delta didn't really understand why. His comments were provoking, but he hadn't thought they would be so anger inducing. Then, something dawned on the redhead. _

"…_You don't know a thing about sorcery yet, do you?" Further silence from Vaati confirmed his suspicions. Suddenly, Delta felt his own rage boil over as well. "What have you been doing all this time Vaati?! Skipping school and not even learning a thing about magic, what kind of a failure are you?! All this time you've been saying you were busy and you were willing to throw away our friendship for it, and now I find out you've gone nowhere in your so-called apprenticeship! Are you that messed up Vaati?! Get a gri –"_

"_Silence."_

_Delta was interrupted by a thin, whispered voice that cut through the air like a knife. The air between them could have crackled from the tension between them. _

"_What do you know, Delta? You didn't even try to listen to me when I told you the one thing I had been trying to do was to go back to how things had once been. You didn't even TRY to believe me when I told you my friendship with you mattered more than dumb Kari and –"_

"_Don't call her that."_

"_I can. And I will. If it weren't for her you would have trusted me. But that's not the point because I've given up on trying to make things the way they had been. That's why I left school, Delta. I'm done with all of you, and now I'm going to work on magic by myself away from "friends" like you."_

"_You never apologized for anything, Vaati. You think everything is everyone else's fault. Have you even thought of thinking you were the one who was wrong all this time?"_

"_You were deaf when I apologized. You never heard me, and after a few times I couldn't even bother anymore. I gave you a chance to hear my sorries, but you never turned your ear so I gave up. If you had listened –"_

"_There you go again. Blaming me when you're also to blame."_

"_I can say the same to you."_

_The two boys glared at each other for some time. Then, Delta turned and began to pick up the things that had once been his such as the fliers he had smuggled from the big people's village. Vaati regarded him coolly and watched him walk away. _

"_Don't come back here. Your place is the school, not here. I don't ever want to see your face again."_

_Delta stopped suddenly and turned around with a terrible rage. A part of him was saddened by how far their friendship had drifted apart, but another part of him was engulfed with anger at Vaati's unreasonable and uncompromising attitude. He let his boiling fury take over and lashed out at the purple robed apprentice. _

"_You're right. I won't. I don't want to have anything to do with someone who can't admit it when they've made mistakes and choose to hide away from their problems in a place like this. I don't want to waste time on someone who can't even be grateful for an once-in-a-lifetime apprenticeship with the greatest sage in the land." He regarded Vaati for several minutes before he huffed and began to walk away. Delta was stopped by a voice laced with bitterness. _

"_Take that back."_

_Delta ignored Vaati and hitched his belongings over his shoulders. Recess was ending, and he needed to get back to school. _

"_I said take that back."_

_The words were uttered in a low, chilling hiss. Delta continued to ignore Vaati. _

_Meanwhile, Vaati could hardly contain his anger and his fists were white to the knuckles. He could feel heat building up in his palms as violent emotion fueled through him. How dare he say that to him. He knew nothing about what he had been working on – HOW DARE HE. Vaati yelled at the top of his lungs. "DIN'S FIRE DEL –"_

_Vaati never had the chance to finish that sentence, for as soon as the first two words were uttered flames erupted fiercely around him and licked his skin with scorching heat. He heard a muffled yelp of shock from Delta but he wasn't paying attention to his friend as he was in a panic from the tongue of fire summoned from his palms. _

_Goddesses, I didn't mean to…I didn't mean to! Vaati thought in horror. He desperately tried to control the flames but the more he tried to calm the searing heat the more it seemed to double in ferocity. An angry wall of fire flickering and twisting like a raging serpent shrouded his entire vision. Finally, when he was on the verge of giving up he let a new feeling overtake him: wincing from the smoldering heat, Vaati sat calmly and watched the fire with wonder and respect. If he was going to die, then he was going to die basking in the sheer awesomeness of the knowledge that he had performed elemental sorcery. _

_As soon as he calmed down and his anger and panic was replaced by quiet acceptance, the flames began to die as well. Vaati sighed in relief as the last of the flames shimmered and dimmed, retreating swiftly as his heartbeats slowed. He slumped to his knees and closed his eyes, taking a moment to collect himself. _

"_Vaati…"_

_Vaati's eyes snapped open and they narrowed when they focused on the redheaded boy who had taken a step forward in concern. _

"_Are you…are you ok?"_

_Vaati's anger began to resurface, but he managed to keep it in check when he noticed tiny sparks of fire dance across his fingertips in warning. _

"_Look, Vaati, I –"_

"_Leave, Delta."_

_Delta took a step back and his eyes sunk to the ground, although they darted in worry towards Vaati several times. "But I…"_

"_NOW." Vaati stood up and kept his flickering hands away from his sides. "Don't make me hurt you."_

_Delta's eyes widened in shock. "Was that a threat?"_

_Vaati's face was unreadable. _

_When no answer came, Delta shook his head expressionlessly and walked away out of sight. A chilling wind wrapped itself around Vaati and tugged at his robes, and it was then that he felt his heart sink to unfathomable depths of sadness. He had never felt lonelier in his life. _

_Shivering, Vaati's breath came out in weak puffs and he steadied himself against the root of a tree. The skin on his face was still warm from the burning fire earlier, but he felt chilled from the core. The wind tugged at his sleeves again and he held out his hand gratefully, letting it glide gently against his scorched hand soothingly. _

_Thank you…_

_In that moment where he felt everything had abandoned him, Vaati felt strangely comforted by the moving air that was still willing to hold and protect him. _

Back in his room, Vaati broke out of meditation and ran his fingers over the edges of his robes where soot had gathered. He still couldn't believe he had summoned fire in his fit of rage and the words "din's fire," and it made him think twice about attempting elemental magic. It had been a learning experience, however – he had never expected elemental magic to be so sensitive to his emotions.

No wonder he needed to get a grip on himself first.

His wandering thoughts led him back to Delta, and he wondered what his friend had been doing there. Nostalgia perhaps? Well, that was foolish of him. He should know that they would never be the same again. Vaati had given up on that course of action, and Delta should as well. The moment that Vaati had threatened him out of rage he had brought their friendship down to a point of no return. They weren't friends, and if they were they were not the friends they used to be…

But…

What was that feeling he had felt when he had threatened Delta with the fire in his hands? It had been a tiny flicker in his soul that had sparked to life with a hungry grin. It had told Vaati it felt good, no, _great_. Even now, though he felt horrified and slightly appalled at what he was thinking of he couldn't deny that he had enjoyed seeing Delta shrink away in uncertain fear.

_No_. Vaati shook his head vehemently. _That's horrible, I wouldn't…_

That feeling was there again and silenced his guilty conscience. The voice growled smugly.

_Ah, but who doesn't like the feeling of being in control? Of being respected? Of being…recognized for greatness. _

No matter how hard he tried to believe the voice wasn't his own, he was forced to admit that the feeling he had when he had threatened Delta with fire was one of _enjoyment_. Disgusted at himself, Vaati involuntarily rubbed his hands together as though trying to brush away the grime of guilt.

The smug voice retreated, but the boy could hear its cruel laughter echo after it left.

_Hide from your true feelings all you want, but it's only a matter of time for the era of the Great Sorcerer Vaati to begin._

XXXXXXXXXX

"Why, what a surprise to see you Sage Ezlo," Ms. Tutari said in surprise the next day when she answered her door to find the renowned sage standing in the doorway. "How go Vaati's studies?"

"Very well," Ezlo lied, thinking of all the conflicts he had in trying to get the boy to listen to him. "He's constantly wanting to learn material that is way over his head and he's never satisfied with the things I have to teach him." _That much is true at least_. "He'll surpass me easily for certain."

Ms. Tutari bade Ezlo inside and she offered him a seat in her living room. She disappeared for some time and then came back with an armful of papers. "I'm sorry," she sniffed, "I hope you don't mind if I grade papers while you speak."

"Oh, it's no problem. I only came here to apologize for any inconveniences Vaati may have caused in school yesterday."

Ms. Tutari was in the middle of straightening out the pile of papers in her hands when she stopped and looked at the sage curiously. "Why, what did he do?"

This time, Ezlo blanked. "Erhm, well, I was under the impression that he had caused an accidental explosion during the science fair."

"We did have a few mishaps but we didn't have anything explode."

"Or light on fire. The boy could have been over-exaggerating when he said his project exploded."

"I don't recall seeing Vaati at the science fair or that he did his own project for that matter."

"If you didn't see him, then how were you able to grade him for his project?"

"…Vaati is no longer enrolled in school."

"What?!"

Ezlo stood up in surprise before he sunk back down in his seat again. He raised his brow quizzically and wondered if he had heard her right. "Why was I not aware of this?"

"My good sage, you were the one who requested that he be homeschooled." Ms. Tutari went through her folders and produced an envelope that she handed to the sage. "Did you not write this letter?"

"No…no I…my goddesses this is a very good forgery." He read the letter that excused his apprentice from school and traced his fingers over the signature that very much resembled his own. "When did you get this?"

Ms. Tutari had pushed aside the papers she had been grading to give Ezlo her full attention. "Vaati hasn't been to school in the last two years."

"That long?"

Ms. Tutari nodded.

"…That boy is going to answer some questions when I return."

"So I take it he hasn't had an education in the last two years?"

"As far as I know, no he hasn't! That boy better have a good reason for all of this or he won't get away with it lightly." Ezlo clutched his cane angrily. How could his apprentice deceive him like this for so long? If he hadn't wanted to go to school he should have mentioned it, not go about the sneaky way of using forgery! Of course Ezlo would most likely have kept him in school regardless, but the least the boy could have done was to say something about it.

"Sage Ezlo, I know this news is startling but, did you mention something about explosions and burns? If he was not at school and you had no knowledge of what he had been doing…" she let the question hang.

In an instant, the sage grew wizened and frail in fear. All his previous anger towards Vaati vanished and was replaced by the worry of a parent. "Farore, you're right. Those burns…I didn't get a good look at them because he had insisted he was all right but…what had he been doing? His face had been burned and even his robes were singed. I…I need to speak with that boy. He could have been placing himself in danger…" Ezlo had gotten up and was pacing the floor furiously. He made for the door and was stopped by Ms. Tutari.

"Before you speak with him, remember to listen. Most people forget that part."

Ezlo looked at her helplessly and he kept squeezing his cane in agitation. "But what if he doesn't give me anything to listen to?"

Ms. Tutari smiled sadly. "Everyone has something to speak about. Whether or not they will tell you anything depends on if they feel your voice is going to drown them out."

"…I suppose you're right." The sage had a hopeless look on his face. He wasn't good at things like this, and from all the previous conversations with Vaati he knew there was a high probability that it was going to end with Vaati shutting himself up in his room and Ezlo losing his temper. It was because that boy had no respect for adults or anyone! Ezlo would try his best to be kind but all he ever got in return was a snide comment or a roll of the eyes. Or was it because Ezlo was a bad listener? "I'm beginning to feel I'm not cut out to have an apprentice."

"Nonsense! Why, have you been having problems?"

Ezlo told her the friction between him and his apprentice that had risen recently and how he didn't know how to handle the situation. "He wasn't always like this," he told her.

Ms. Tutari crossed her arms and stood thoughtfully for a few minutes. After a while, she rested her face on her hand. "Maybe you aren't spending enough time with him? I can't really say, only that Vaati is a boy who requires an exceptionally long time to gain trust." She shook her head. "You might want to consider actual homeschooling. He must have had an enormous reason to go so far as to forge letters to avoid school. Just remember, _listen_ to him," she added.

Ezlo nodded and heaved a heavy sigh as he walked out the door. Just before he left, Ms. Tutari called again.

"I was just curious but, didn't you ever think it was strange that you didn't hear anything from the school during these last two years Vaati hadn't been attending?"

Ezlo laughed when he remembered something. "Oh ho, but I _did_ get letters from the school. In fact, I received report cards for Vaati signed by you."

"Did you?"

"Yes. They were very cleverly done, too, now that I think of it."

"And what were his grades?"

"I believe they were almost always straight As."

The corner of Ms. Tutari's mouth twitched into a smirk and she plucked a pencil behind her ear. "Hmph. Tell him he should be a little more modest next time. Straight As indeed."

* * *

fleets: gotta go now i have to run off somewhere NOW but before I do, let me just say that the next few chapters (also including this one) is going to be important.

**Shadow Blues:** Actually, no, that was definitely not a filler chapter. I rarely write filler chapters :)  
The last chapter was an important setup for the coming chapters. Without it, I wouldn't be able to write the next chapter :D

**Reily96: **Thanks! Those words make me feel all happy and nice :D. It's horrible what Vaati has to go through, but then again I like Vaati dark so good thing Ezlo sucked at being a parent. XD

**Bishieluver01: **By all means, no, Delta is definitely not just a throwaway character - he did disappear for some time because I wanted to focus on Vaati's ailing relationship with Ezlo, but Delta is still crucial. You'll definitely see more of him. As for the wishing cap, I'm still considering whether or not I can tell you...I'll answer the question if I decide I can. :D**  
**

**marium: **Thanks! We still haven't got to Vaati's ultimate theft - the stealing of the wishing cap. :)

**DarkLinkvsRaineSagefan101: **He's not so innocent anymore, is he...Ah well, there's still a smidgen of it left. He's not completely converted. Yet. Oh, and thank you~ I'm glad you liked it :D

**Peka The Corsair: **Yay thanks! :D

**Victoria-BlackHeart: **It's all downhill from here. I can't really think of anything good that's going to come. Hmmm.


	17. The Hearts of Men

fleets: (gasp) one of...the hardest...chapters I've had to write so far. Mostly because of it's importance. Time to go lie down now.

I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to update. I've been busier than I'd anticipated and I also needed a break in this story for a bit because my inspiration to write had dwindled a bit. For those of you who don't know yet, I've started a manga version of Beyond Centuries on my devart account (accessible via 'homepage') to get me inspired to write again (it's helped). Check it out if you're interested. :)

* * *

**Chapter 17: The Hearts of Men**

"I'm home!" Vaati called out like any other day when he came home from 'school,' flinging his coat across over to the couch and skipping steps up to his room. He set his book bag by his bed and brushed away the springtime pollen from his shirt, sneezing as he did so. Then, like any other day, he went back down the stairs to wake up his master who was sleeping once again in his office.

The boy knocked loudly on the door to Ezlo's room. "I'm coming in!" He swung open the door. "Wake up Master Ezlo you old ma…I mean…I uh…um…hello Master Ezlo…" Vaati's voice trailed when, instead of meeting a napping Ezlo he came face to face with the sage who was _very_ much awake. The sage was watching him closely and the apprentice wondered if he had heard what he had been about to say to him. "You're awake," was all he could manage to say.

"I was waiting for you. An _old man_ I may be, and I _am_ usually tired, but I wanted to have a quick word with you today."

_Well of course he heard what I'd said. _"About what, master?"

"Sit."

With a sweep of his hand, the sage motioned for Vaati to sit. The apprentice tentatively sat down and cocked his head, wondering what was up. Ezlo's expression was hard to read and he didn't know if he should be worried or not. If in fact Vaati were in trouble, it would be better if he played dumb so Vaati took on the most innocent face he could make.

"How was school?"

"Ok." Vaati felt uneasy under Ezlo's stern gaze.

"That's good to hear."

They sat quietly for a few minutes and Vaati resisted the urge to fidget. After a while Ezlo looked around distractedly and tapped his cane.

"What did you learn today?"

Vaati's face relaxed and he threw out words that had been well rehearsed. "Math, ancient picori, the usual."

"The usual…yes. Now that's very interesting considering you haven't been to school in two years."

"Excuse me sir?" Vaati spluttered, completely caught off guard. His blank face broke and for a moment the boy's face was panic-stricken.

Ezlo sighed and stroked his beard thoughtfully. He let his next words hang in the air for his apprentice to consider. "I spoke with Ms. Tutari yesterday."

Vaati became completely still but his eyes wandered around the room. He knew he was in trouble, but was it worth it to keep playing dumb? He felt Ezlo's steely gaze waiting on him. Vaati shrugged. "She probably didn't have much to say about me." _No, there's no use playing dumb now._ Vaati smiled innocently. "She hasn't taught me anything in three…I mean two years. Of course that doesn't mean I've let the last two years go to waste Master Ezlo."

Ezlo coughed and he appeared displeased with Vaati's brazen attitude. "You have a good reason for this I assume?"

"School was…a waste of my time."

"Elaborate, m'boy."

"I know all the material. I didn't see the point in going anymore."

"And you think that's a good reason?"

Vaati didn't even hesitate. "Yes. I do."

The apprentice had braced himself for Ezlo's anger at this response. He had expected his master to yell at him for what he had done. Therefore, Ezlo surprised him with his next comment. "Fair enough."

Vaati stumbled over his words. "You're not angry with me master?"

"Oh no, I'm very upset with you boy. Not going to school is not the reason why I would be upset with you." Ezlo put aside his cane and steepled his fingers in front of his face. "I'm angry that you couldn't be more honest with me and explained to me why you no longer wanted to attend school. I would most likely have made you attend anyway I admit…but if I had the chance to speak with Ms. Tutari I would have changed my mind. I spoke with Ms. Tutari yesterday," Ezlo repeated, "and I agree with her that perhaps you will be better off being homeschooled.  
Now, I want to talk about the issue of honesty. In this household I want no secrets or deception between us, do you understand? If something bothers you I want you to tell me. For two years you've deceived me. _Two years_. What do you have to say to that?"

Vaati didn't know what to say. He could have apologized but something held him back. _It's not my fault. I can do better by myself. You wouldn't believe me. You wouldn't let me work on what I'm working on now._

"And what have you been working on these past two years if school was a…waste of time like you say?"

"Um…" Vaati faltered. There was no way in the world he could tell Master Ezlo he had been secretly smuggling his books to learn material that he wasn't supposed to be learning yet. Ezlo wanted honesty, but this was something he could just not tell him. Not prepared for what to say, Vaati looked at the ground and Ezlo took this the wrong way.

"Fooling around and doing nothing I presume?"

The apprentice stood up angrily. "No!"

"Then what have you been doing?"

Pure frustration was written all over his face but all Vaati was able to do was bite his lip, his expression completely livid. Ezlo sniffed.

"Hmph. I thought so. I can't believe you, boy. I'm so upset with you that I don't know what to do with you. I should ground you for an entire year and set curfews for…ah, never mind. What would that do for you…" The sage sunk low into his seat and pinched his brows tiredly. Vaati was still grinding his teeth together, annoyed with his inability to tell his master that he wasn't the lazy student he thought he was. "I'm not even sure I'm angry with you anymore," Ezlo shook his head. "I'm disappointed…"

Vaati felt angry. He had begun to feel saddened because the word "disappointment" was a word that could cut deep, but anger had surfaced and had washed away the shame. He was angry because Master Ezlo didn't know anything about him and he had no idea just how hard Vaati had been working. _I'm NOT lazy!_ He wanted to scream, but he held his tongue. All he could do was stand there and look as though he was sorry.

Was he sorry? A little, but thoughts of rebellion ran stronger and he wasn't in the mood to apologize. Ezlo had it ALL wrong, so why should he be sorry? What did he have to be sorry for – after all, he had done everything the way he thought was right. Maybe he should apologize for hiding the fact that he hadn't been to school in two years, but the reason he needed to hide that in the first place was because Ezlo hadn't taught him anything! He wasn't the one who should be apologizing!

Still, apologizing would be the quickest way to end this…

"I'm sorry Master Ezlo," Vaati muttered. _I'm sorry you're disappointed and that you don't know anything about me old man._

Vaati's apology made the old sage relax with a relieved look on his face. He smiled for the first time they had started talking. "I was waiting for that," he nodded. "I was afraid we would end up yelling at each other again."

"No, I was wrong for not saying anything to you Master Ezlo." _But I'm still right about not telling you what I've been doing._

Ezlo closed his eyes and rocked back in his chair. "I've been thinking…it's been two years since you became my apprentice. This is usually the time apprentice sages begin to learn how to do magic so I am considering teaching you how to do some basic spells. I know you've been frustrated I haven't been able to show you how to do anything yet and believe me, I've felt awful holding you back so far."

_If you felt so awful then why didn't you do anything about it?!_

"Since you're going to be homeschooled now, why don't we begin our first lesson on spells next week? I'm not going to teach you this week because you do need some punishment for your behavior these last two years. I AM still angry about that, boy."

"Real spells…sir?" Vaati asked cautiously. _I don't believe you. _

"Of course! There's nothing fake about what I'm going to teach you. In the meanwhile, I want to make sure that you really _do_ know all the material the kids at school are learning. If I find out that you don't, then it's back to schoolwork with you whether you like it or not. If you pass, however, then I'll get you started on magic like I promised."

_Promises mean nothing. I'll believe it when you do it._ "Yes master."

"All right then, run along now. I hope I won't ever have to find out you've deceived me ever again."

"You don't have to worry Master Ezlo." Vaati was getting tired of this, and he felt eager to leave. Once he saw his master nod, he hopped to the door and sprung it open. He was halfway out the door when the sage called again, and the boy stumbled over his feet in surprise.

"By the way, Vaati…"

Vaati turned around with a somewhat annoyed frown. _What is it now?_ "Yes master?"

"I don't think you've told me everything yet."

_Oh for the love of Nayru…_

Vaati kept his thoughts to himself and waited expectantly for Master Ezlo to continue.

"How did you get those burns if you hadn't actually been to the science fair?"

Vaati's frown became a thin line as he responded flatly "I was making red potion like I told you. It was a half-truth."

Ezlo didn't seem to take his word. "Are you sure, m'boy?"

The thin line became a scowl. "Of course I'm sure Master Ezlo. Otherwise I wouldn't have told you."

"After all that talk we had I really hope you're not lying."

"And after all that talk I wish you'd realize the only way this is ever going to work is when you begin to trust me, Master Ezlo," Vaati put bluntly. He knew Ezlo well enough to know that this line was going to get him to back off on the subject. It was what the old man feared the most; that Vaati didn't feel like Ezlo trusted him. Of course the sage shouldn't trust him, but the boy knew it made his master uncomfortable when he presented him with such an unkind truth. Ezlo was such a naïve fool at times.

_Wow, did I really think that?_ Vaati surprised himself for the second time that week. _What a nasty person I've become…_

_Nonsense, I'm just saying the truth. _

Ezlo froze up in shock and he stuttered a little. "Of…of course!" He paused, and then waved his apprentice away. Vaati bowed curtly and left, slightly miffed that Ezlo had remembered how he had come home singed after his failed attempt at elemental magic. Once Vaati had left, Ezlo shook his head sadly once again. _He's right…it's my fault. I need to trust him._

XXXXXXXXXX

After two years of trying to learn magic by himself without any guidance, Vaati had been slightly excited at the prospect of finally learning it from a mentor. He had built up so much anticipation that it led him to serious disappointment on the day of his first lesson with Master Ezlo.

"You hold your hand steady like this and then you gently wave it in the direction you want the paper to go…are you paying attention m'boy?"

"Mmf."

"Boy?"

"Mmf?"

"Vaati! Are you serious about this or not?!"

Vaati slowly picked his head up from his arms that were sprawled over his desk and lazily watched Ezlo demonstrate levitating a piece of paper off the floor. Two years ago he would have found this lesson amazing and awe-inspiring but as of now he was bored to death. He had already figured out how to levitate small objects on his own from one of the books he had snuck from Ezlo's office. With a muffled yawn, the apprentice nodded his head once. "Sorry Master Ezlo. You do this, am I right?" Vaati held one arm out and concentrated on the paper on his desk. He flicked his wrist up and let the paper fly into the air and then flutter back in front of him. Ezlo sighed patiently.

"That's very good, boy, but your technique is also very messy and brash. I said to do it _gently_."

"But what's the difference? I get the point."

"Don't get cheeky with me boy."

"Fine. How's this then?" Vaati focused on the paper again and he brought his hands slowly upwards so that the paper followed them into the air. However, two years of learning by himself earned him bad habits and instead of moving up gently the paper jerked and fidgeted in the air. Losing his patience, Vaati accidentally threw his hands upwards in a gesture of frustration, forgetting that the motion would make the paper move as well. The levitating paper smacked his master in the face and Vaati stifled a snicker before he straightened up and managed to look apologetic. "I'm sorry master I didn't mean to do that."

"As you can see you still have much to learn so straighten up and pay attention. You may think you know everything but you're just a novice, boy," Ezlo said stiffly. "Now try again and put more effort into it because right now I sense hardly any enthusiasm to learn from you."

_This is SO boring though. I know how to do this already…_

Grumbling, Vaati held out both hands and moved them slowly up. Instead of levitating just the paper he got his quill and several push pins to levitate as well. After a few minutes, he let his hands fall back down and the objects fell to the floor. Ezlo appeared slightly impressed but exasperated at the same time. The sage coughed. "That's great, m'boy, but next time please do what I asked you to do instead of trying other things. It was a good thing you didn't cause an accident with that spell that time."

Vaati refrained from snorting. He rested his chin on his hands and tried his best to look interested in Ezlo's lesson. "So did I pass this lesson? When are we going to get to elemental spells?"

The sage jumped. "Goodness, Vaati, elemental spells are far too advanced and dangerous! You are most _definitely_ not ready for those yet!" he squawked. "And no, you did not pass the levitation lesson yet because you still have not been able to show me how to do it with careful precision. If you want me to teach you advanced sorcery you have to be able to do all the basics _perfectly_."

Vaati looked away and seemed to be lost in thought. He hated stalling in basics when he wanted to learn better things. He craved learning more difficult spells and wanted to progress further away from basics. Even if Master Ezlo said he needed to wait Vaati felt ready for other things, bigger things. Still, the apprentice felt too tired to argue. One of these days, Master Ezlo's lessons were going to catch up to the readings he had been doing on elemental magic. Finally, Vaati smiled curtly and nodded. "All right. I'll keep practicing Master Ezlo."

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Come here, boy. I want to show you something." Ezlo motioned his apprentice over. Vaati went off toward the summons lazily. As soon as he reached his master's office, Vaati snapped to attention and instantly became intrigued by the object in Ezlo's hands. It was a bundled up sheet of red cloth with a circlet of gold on the end with a mesmerizing jewel. Vaati recognized it as the completed wishing cap he had seen when he had first moved in with Ezlo. "Sit," the sage commanded.

Vaati sat down, his eyes never leaving the hat in Ezlo's hands. The sage proudly presented his creation and handled it with extreme care.

"I assume you've been wondering what I have been working on." He turned the hat over so that the gem glinted magnificently. "This is a wonderful creation if I say so myself. It's called the Wishing Cap, and it grants any wish its wearer desires."

"Any wish?" Vaati awed.

"Yes. I plan to present it to the big people as the greatest gift the Minish has ever been able to offer. It's nearly done with only a few touchups required. I thought you might be interested in seeing it. Careful now," he said as he let Vaati hold it in his hands. Vaati took it eagerly.

"Can I wear it?"

Ezlo squawked. "You most certainly may NOT!" The sage held out his hand in a panicked gesture. "Erhm, I believe it may be better if I held onto it for the time being."

Vaati handed back the hat grudgingly as he had been given less than a minute to take a look at it. Once the sage had his prized possession back in his hands his shoulders visibily relaxed and he cradled it lovingly.

"This is my life's work, boy. It's something I had always been dreaming of creating. Do you remember what I said about the Golden Power?"

The apprentice nodded, still with a frown on his face because he was annoyed by how the hat had been confiscated from him so quickly. "Yes. The power can grant the wish of whoever touches it and gives the holder power, courage, and wisdom dwarfed only by the goddesses themselves."

"Very good. That's exactly right." The sage put the hat back inside a chest sitting on the edge of his desk and stood up. Vaati's narrowed eyes followed his master's movements but he was keenly aware of the chest with the hat. "I wanted to recreate the abilities of the Golden Power in the wishing cap and I've spent years researching how I would go about doing it. The Wishing Cap you saw today is very near its completion and I now believe that recreating the power can very well be done." Ezlo moved over to his bookcase to look for a book. "Isn't it wonderful?"

"That's amazing Master Ezlo." Vaati would have said that with sincerity and excitement if he didn't feel the danger he was feeling in seeing the sage go over to observe the bookshelf. No doubt Ezlo wanted to retrieve a volume to show his apprentice something, but Vaati knew that there was a chance that the sage wouldn't find the book he was looking for because Vaati had replaced them with his beginner's books for his smuggling. "Uh…Master Ezlo?" the apprentice asked firmly, standing up himself. "If you need something I should get it for you. I don't want you to fall down and hurt yourself while you're reaching up for a book. Just tell me the title and I'll find it."

Ezlo turned to look at him with a curious and slightly offended expression. "Sit down, boy, I can do this myself," he said gruffly. "I'm not as old as you may take me to be."

"But master…" Vaati didn't contain the worry in his voice. Ezlo laughed, thinking it was worry from fearing his safety.

"I'll be alright, m'boy! The book I wanted to get is just right here! It's not very big, but it has a chockfull of information on the golden power. You might be interes…" Ezlo's voice died down. Vaati watched his master stare at the bookshelf for a long time with a flat expression, his wizened hands stopped in the middle of taking out a novel. The boy looked down but it wasn't from apology or shame. He was hiding his face that had tensed as his mind quickly went through different scenarios of how to handle this new development. Vaati knew he was caught and that his cover was blown; the only thing to do now was to see how angry Ezlo was going to be and take it from there.

"My books are gone," Ezlo stated calmly. "What is this?"

The sage quietly began to pull out books one by one until there was a modest tower in the middle of his desk. They were the books that had been given to Vaati earlier by Ezlo when he had begun his apprenticeship. At this point, Vaati had leaned back in his chair and was watching his master lazily as each book was placed with a heavy, incriminating air. There was nothing Vaati could do about it anymore so he wasn't even going to pretend innocence.

"Vaati."

Vaati tilted his head slightly upwards, just enough to let his master know that he had heard him.

"Do you know why your books are here instead of mine?"

Vaati considered Ezlo for a moment. The sage was unnervingly calm but his beard trembled occasionally. The apprentice knew from his master's deadly quiet that he was in serious trouble, but for some reason he didn't feel worried or sad at all. "Yes." Vaati shifted in his seat. "I switched them."

"You switched them." Ezlo repeated slowly.

"Yes master."

"Where are they now?"

"In the woods."

"Where in the woods?"

"Somewhere safe, Master Ezlo. You don't need to worry about their condition."

"How long have you had them?"

"Roughly two years."

"And for what purpose did you switch them without telling me?"

"I just wanted to learn more, Master Ezlo. I enjoyed reading them."

Ezlo looked at him skeptically. Vaati was sitting in his chair without any form of nervousness as though he knew he were guilty but didn't care. Vaati had snuck his books two years ago – the same time when he had dropped out of school.

Ezlo remembered the way Vaati's eyes had wandered when he had been asked what he had been doing during the two years he hadn't been in school. He also remembered Vaati's evasiveness when he had been confronted with how he had received the burns on his robes and face.

And then Ezlo knew why. The sage had never felt more angry in his life when he realized then how Vaati had continued to abuse his trust even after Ezlo had spoken to him about dishonesty, never felt more furious when he realized his apprentice had stolen from him, and never felt more enraged when he realized the danger Vaati had put himself in.

"You got those burns making red potion, Vaati?" Ezlo asked. Vaati cocked his head, taken aback and slightly confused by the sudden change of subject.

"Yes…master." The apprentice sat up a little straighter in his seat, nervousness beginning to creep in.

"You still lie to me?! After all this you _still_ lie to me?! _Tell me the truth, Vaati!_" Ezlo roared. Vaati's eyes widened in surprise at his master's sudden reaction. "Do you know the danger you put yourself in? Do you even understand how dangerous magic is? _Especially elemental magic?!_"

The words hit Vaati like a sledgehammer cracking his skull. Ezlo knew, and Ezlo was angry. "I…but I…" Vaati stammered, his composure leaving him as he had not thought out how to deal with a situation like this.

A vein in Ezlo's forehead pulsed. "Bring back those books to me. ALL of them! And don't think for a minute that I will continue teaching you how to do magic, boy, you're going to start at the very beginning! I'm going to make sure you _understand_ all the dangers of sorcery before I teach you any more because you _obviously don't know the gravity of the art!_"

The corners of Vaati's mouth twitched. He was becoming angry that Ezlo was yelling at him like a deranged old man and that he was going to have to go all the way back to square one in his apprenticeship. It wasn't fair.

"Bring the books back, Vaati!"

Vaati stood up from his seat and stared stonily at his enraged master. "Right now, master?"

"_Yes now! When else?! Go! NOW!"_ Ezlo screamed. Vaati hurried out the door to escape the din.

Once outside, Vaati began to run. He wanted to be far away from that damned house with that damned good-for-nothing sage. His teeth were gnashed together in a furious snarl, angry because he had convinced himself that the only person to blame in this whole entire mess was Ezlo. And now the sage was punishing him for being ambitious, and that made Vaati only angrier.

His pace slowed as he passed the orphanage he had grown up in before he had started to live with Ezlo. It appeared sad and neglected since everyone had gone: after Vaati had left, Miss Britta had been able to find good homes for what was left of the few kids in the orphanage and she herself had moved away to set up another orphanage elsewhere where she would be needed more than here. He remembered when the fretful woman visited him for one last goodbye roughly a year or so ago. As Vaati ran past the orphanage he felt no sadness or regret for leaving the orphanage for the apprenticeship: when Glen had left him for a job in Holodrum he had felt no attachment to the place. Miss Britta had always looked at him with that pitiful expression of hers as though she were sorry for something.

Sorry about what? Sorry that his parents had left him before he was old enough to remember? He could care less about his parents. Sorry that he looked like a freak of nature? Then she could stop staring at him, it wasn't like his looks ever hurt anybody. Sorry that her expressions annoyed the crap out of him and made him like her a little less? Psh, what did he care about the orphanage…

What did he care about anything? He was better off by himself.

But now that was going to be taken away from him. Spikes of anger flared up again as Vaati reached the secret base where he had kept the books he had smuggled out of Ezlo's bookshelf. He picked up each one and dropped it into his bag, his lips flattened into a thin straight line. After he had picked up the last one, he slowly trudged out of his secret base and took one last look around.

Once he was sure he had everything, he began to walk back to his home where Ezlo would deprive him of his wealth of knowledge.

XXXXXXXXXX

Weeks passed. It was winter. Ezlo began to question his outburst on Vaati as he saw his apprentice quickly retreat inside himself and become as impenetrable as steel. The boy spoke little and his responses to Ezlo were minimal – just enough to keep Ezlo from questioning him or getting angry with him. He shirked his duties and disappeared for hours at a time without telling Ezlo where he was going, which made Ezlo take on a strict policy of keeping a careful watch over his apprentice. This made Vaati resent the sage even more and their relationship became further embittered.

"And that is how sorcery was first introduced…yes m'boy?"

Vaati lowered the hand he had been raising. "May I go to the bathroom?" He stood up and left when the master sage nodded.

The boy maneuvered around the furniture and made straight for the door outside, passing the restroom without a second glance. Grabbing his hat, he pulled it over his ears and made sure to cover his face with a scarf and guard his fingers with mittens. The air was crisp and the wind nipped his exposed skin. The snow crunched on the ground beneath him.

Vaati began to walk towards the woods, smoky white puffs forming in front of him as he laughed to himself. He couldn't stay in that room with Ezlo any longer, and he needed time to himself. He hated how Ezlo kept a careful eye on him now so it was a relief during times like this when he could escape and be alone. Ezlo was afraid that Vaati would hurt himself again if he wasn't watched, like that accident with elemental magic.

Vaati wandered around, his footsteps following him in the snow, until he reached the crack beneath the roots of a tree where a four-leaf-clover had grown during the spring. The crack was filled with snow and its edges were iced over. The apprentice climbed onto the crooked root and leaned against the towering trunk of the old tree.

He let himself enjoy the calm quiet of the woods with the wind whistling between the branches. He emptied his thoughts and turned his head skywards. A few dry brown leaves had stubbornly remained on the gray branches and were now shivering with the weight of snow. Between them, he could see a swash of clouds like a huge smoldering pillow. Vaati was a little jealous of those clouds – so far away from everything and so free. He could imagine hovering up there, looking down at the ground beneath him and feeling so untouchable.

Vaati snapped his head around. He heard voices. He ducked his head and peeked carefully around for the source of the noise.

The voices were raised and sounded tense, and it seemed as though someone was sobbing hysterically in fear. It made Vaati scared to hear someone so distressed and he crouched even lower to avoid being seen. He began to have a creeping suspicion that the voices did not belong to Minish but…

_Oh no…the big people!_

Vaati could see three men and a little girl. One of the men was crouched behind the little girl with a savage knife over her throat. Another had both hands in the pockets of his buckskin jacket, his shoulders set back and his chin held high in malevolent confidence. He was speaking smoothly to the third man who was on his knees and shaking like a defeated dog, chest heaving from wracking sobs of terror.

_What are they saying?_

Vaati knew he should leave the area, but some part of him wanted to stay there and watch in fearful fascination. Something drew him towards the men, and he gasped in modest awe as he watched the standing man send the kneeling one rolling to the snow in pain with one swift kick. The girl began to scream but with the threat of death she trembled back to silence.

Physically, the dominant man appeared much weaker than the man who was now groaning on the ground, whimpering. He was thin and slight with hollowed cheekbones compared to the muscular lumberjack build of the defeated man. His dark eyes glinted with a cold light and his smile was dark and dangerous like an unstoppable tyrant.

So unstoppable…

The sheer power of the evil that the big people were capable of intrigued Vaati now that he was seeing it first hand. It was something most Minish weren't capable of comprehending, and he recalled those times in the past when he continued to question why the big people could be so evil.

Now he saw why. Here, he saw two men capable of harnessing the evil in their hearts to reduce another one who wasn't as dark to submission. They could ask anything they wanted out of the sniveling man and they would get it.

So powerful…

Vaati's ears twitched when he thought he heard someone call out his name, but he continued to stare fixedly at the three men and the girl. The man on the ground was now pleading in a hoarse voice that he would do anything if they would just let his girl go.

_They're so unlike me. If I had been like them, Ezlo would have listened. Delta would have listened. Anyone I had wanted to listen would have listened. _

Vaati frowned, thinking, when the men sneered and began to move back away from where they had come from. The man on the ground was shoved to his feet and was led away, while he asked continually if his girl was going to be all right.

The big people were capable of things the Minish wouldn't even dare consider. It seemed to run in their entire existence, evidenced by all those notices Delta had used to bring that spoke of violence in the big people's villages. Was it not a weakness in the Minish race, then, if the big people were able to do things they weren't able to do?

His name. He heard someone call out his name again. Who was it?

The image of the thin man in the buckskin jacket popped up in his head again. He would be lying if he said he didn't fascinate him.

_If I had that much power, would Delta have questioned me? Would Ezlo?_

"Vaati!"

_I doubt it._

"Vaati! What are you doing here?!"

Vaati turned around and saw Ezlo pushing through the snow and making his way towards him just as the big people were leaving. He noticed his master glance at them in fear and then swiftly come over and grab his wrist firmly. Annoyed at being found, Vaati cursed for having been so careless as to leave his footprints behind in the snowfall.

"Stupid boy! I told you not to wander off by yourself. You could've been killed!" The sage sounded angry that his apprentice had snuck off again but relieved that he was safe. Vaati wriggled his wrist free out of the sage's grasp and made a face before he glanced over his shoulder where the men had been earlier.

"I just wanted to see what the big people were doing, Master Ezlo."

That fearful look came into Ezlo's dark eyes again. Vaati watched him curiously. "The big people are dangerous, Vaati. They may accidentally kill us without knowing what they are doing."

"Then why do we help them?"

Ezlo hesitated when he saw the look on his apprentice's face. Something had changed about him. Was it his eyes? They seemed a little more chilling and there was a glimmer about them that was eerie. Cogs were spinning in his head that had been better off stalled, and something about Vaati made him uneasy and unsafe. _No, that's ridiculous! _ "Well," the sage deliberated, "it's because they can use our guidance."

"Hmm." Vaati looked away. _Not because you're afraid of the things they are capable of doing?_

Ezlo suddenly turned and became stern. "But enough of that! You snuck out of lesson _again_, Vaati! I'm getting tired of this – this is the fifth time in the last three days! I'm going to ground you for a week."

"Yes Master Ezlo." _Fine. That's less time I have to spend with you, and I can just sneak out of the window if I wanted to._

The sage and the apprentice began to make their way back towards their home, the sage grumbling all the while. However, his apprentice never heard him because his mind was clouded by the image of the men in the woods.

Vaati was enchanted.

Enchanted by the wickedness in the hearts of men.

* * *

**Shadow Blues: **Gomen for not updating in so long! Vaati's not the same anymore (shakes head sadly) - but secretly I like him better this way.

**yaya2dayoyo: **Thank you! It frustrates me a little when people get upset at me for "writing yaoi" when in fact that's not what I had intended at all (if they're not upset then I don't care what they think).

**DarkLinkvsRaineSagefan101: **Good riddance Ezlo doesn't know Vaati had threatened someone with it! It's bad enough already :O. Haha I won't hurt you - thank you for liking them :)

**Reily96: **I'm probably a sadist - the more things worsen for Vaati the more I enjoy writing this D8. I say I just miss writing the jerk of a mage he's going to be.

**Victoria-BlackHeart: **And he's so much the more better for it D

**Bishiluver01: **He's fallen in with the wrong crowd now. 8(

**Darkwind: **I really, REALLY, missed writing the bad Vaati. I totally agree with you, 100%

**PrincessZelda777: **Thank you! No, no, I agree with you about how he's a little 'too' hero (I'm trying my best to fix it as I go along though it might be a tad too late for that). I was recently replaying the Minish Cap and Vaati seems way evil...even more than I remembered him to be. Before I end this story arc I'm hoping to get him evil enough to be truer to the game version. :)


	18. Rise of Evil

fleets: Aw, this chapter made me sad writing it for several reasons. :(

* * *

**Chapter 18: Rise of Evil**

Vaati had the habit of jumping excitedly into things without first giving it a careful thought. He had the tendency to make early assumptions, and he admitted he usually had little patience to go through all the possible scenarios of how things could go wrong. This time, however, Vaati was extremely meticulous in his care of making sure things were perfect in every way. He had his sights on that Wishing Cap, and he wasn't about to let a minor mishap ruin his chance to get it.

It had been an idea that had begun to take seed after Ezlo had taken away all of his resources to magic. In the beginning, he had felt incredibly depressed about the prospect of learning things painfully slowly. He believed he could do better, but his master had denied him everything and he felt crippled. Only in his dreams at night did he get to live the glory of being a praised and respected sage.

Dreams of grandeur had always invaded his sleep, but as time passed the man in the buckskin jacket began to appear as well. His dark fascination deepened into an obsession and soon enough all he could think about was the intense power pure cruelty held. With that much power, was there anything he couldn't achieve? The people in his dreams bowed to him in fear.

It was when Vaati was eleven years old that he learned about what was so special about the coming year. In the summer of next year the people of Hyrule were going to celebrate the annual Picori festival in honor of the Minish, and that happened to be the same day when the portal that connected the world of men and the world of Minish opened. It was a magical portal that opened only every hundred years, and it was the only chance Vaati was going to get to attempt to find the Golden Power.

The Force, the Golden Power: the object that had sparked Ezlo's quest to recreate the wish-granting capabilities of the wonderful hat. If Vaati could get a hold of both, why, he might even be able to surpass the goddesses themselves! He would be the greatest sage to ever set foot on the earth, no, a god even.

His plan, therefore, was to wait until the year of the Picori festival. There was no sense rushing now, and even though Vaati was itching to get his hands on the Wishing Cap he forced himself to wait patiently. One more year was all it was going to take.

In the meanwhile, his insane desires continued to grow.

XXXXXXXXX

Ezlo couldn't place a finger on it, but Vaati had especially bothered him in the last few months. It wasn't that he was disobedient because he wasn't. In fact, after that incident where Ezlo had to drag him away from the big people Vaati had become much more controllable. His frequent escapes from home gradually lessened and he stopped making as many snide remarks. He began to fit into the role model student stereotype, but this made Ezlo all the more uneasy. Perhaps it was because it was fake and too perfect. It brought back memories of the time when Vaati had been fooling him about going to school and it reminded Ezlo that for Vaati, the more perfect and "too good to be true" his act was, the more likely he was planning something dishonest.

Maybe he was worrying too much. After all, Vaati was progressing at an impressive pace with his studies even though his enthusiasm for learning from Ezlo was next to nothing. _It must be the stress and nervousness for today…_

Yes, today was THE day. Ezlo wiped his forehead that was slightly sweaty with nervous anticipation. This was the day he had spent years waiting for, and the day that he was going to go down in history as the greatest sage of all time. He had been able to complete the Wishing Cap, and now all that was left was to present it to the Royal Family of Hyrule.

"It can't be too difficult," he muttered. Ezlo's bird-head cane tapped along the floor as he walked to his office where he had kept the hat safely in anticipation for today. He wondered if he should tell the villagers what he had completed so everyone could celebrate together. He was definitely going to tell Vaati – that boy had always been excited about the idea of the Wishing Cap and Ezlo knew he wouldn't want to miss a thing.

The sage sighed, shaking his head to himself as he thought about his apprentice. He remembered all those times he had argued and shouted at Vaati and he worried that the stress of finishing the cap might have made Ezlo less tolerating than he could have been. _Well, it's all finished after today. After today, everything will be good again. _

That's right. He would have no more tired nights for sewing stitches until his eyes hurt and his mind wouldn't be filled with all the worries of going to the world of men to present the hat. He could shift his focus on Vaati and things will be good. Maybe he'll have enough confidence to teach his apprentice elemental sorcery since Vaati had proved he was a quick learner. _Just once. I'll let him try just once. _

Ezlo swung open the door to his office, his face relaxing into a smile as he thought about the promising future. It was then that he saw something that made him go numb with terror.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Vaati, what are you doing here?"

The apprentice stopped for a second when he heard his master's whispy voice behind him. In front of him on the wooden desk was an open chest with a magnificent jewel encrusted hat inside. With his back still turned to the frozen sage, a nasty smile crept its way up along the corners of his mouth and he reached his outstretched hands further to grab the prized hat.

Just before he put the hat on his head, Vaati slowly and deliberately turned to face the shocked sage. Ezlo was at a loss for words as he saw the boy he had loved look at him with such terrible hate. The hate was in the red eyes that burned with savage intensity, and it was in the thin smile that sneered with unimaginable cynicism. Vaati's crooked smile broadened and he placed the hat on his head before Ezlo could do anything.

Blinding light. A dark wave of power surged through his body and he felt a tingling sensation along the tips of his fingers. He imagined something go in and touch the very core of his soul and burn as it pulsed through him. _I want to be…the greatest sorcerer in the world…_

Vaati's smile parted and he let out a tiny sigh as a rush of wind swirled around him, welcoming him and bowing before him. It told him he was the master of wind and he could think of nothing more fitting for him. The moving air snapped his robes straight to rid it of wrinkles and tugged at the new dark cape that draped over his shoulders.

Ezlo watched Vaati's transformation in disbelief. The sage stared in shock as the minish boy grew a head taller and his features altered to look exactly like those of the big people. Ezlo remembered how the Wishing Hat was fueled by the desires of its wearer, and it suddenly hit him just how much of an impression the evil men Vaati had seen in the woods had left on him. Vaati's soft pale hair fell back into place, cascading behind him in a shimmering trail, and Ezlo thought of how the boy had refused to cut it after so many attempts he had made to get him to shorten it. Vaati wanted to be a renowned sage, he had told him. Black crescents accented his sharp cheekbones, and right above them glinted steel cold ruby eyes. Ezlo looked back at them sadly, wondering since when Vaati had lost the warmth in his eyes. The sage couldn't say he recognized this remorseless demon in front of him.

"Oh! What a vile form you have taken!"

Vaati tilted his chin condescendingly and his gaze wandered over his new body in admiration. He was garbed in a deep royal purple with gold here and there. _The color of magic, mystery, and royalty. Perfect._ A sinister chuckle escaped his lips as he shook his head. "Vile?" He extended his arms for Ezlo to see. "I am a sorcerer now, and my power is beyond compare! None can stop me…" Vaati mused as he watched his master with that evil grin. _Not even you. I'm greater than you, old man. I was meant for better things than the things you limited me to. Recognize your folly._

He had wanted to see fear in those beady black eyes. Maybe even acknowledgement that Vaati was capable of greater things. Instead, however, Ezlo had his brows crinkled in heavy disappointment and even…disgust. Vaati's sneer fell a little as he saw his master look at him as though he were a failure. A cheater.

_How dare he_. Anger began to build up inside him and Vaati's wide, victorious smile turned into a tight-lipped, cold one. How dare that old man look at him like that? Ezlo spoke again, quietly.

"Why, Vaati? What are you plotting?"

Vaati stared at his old master for a long while with cruel eyes. A part of him felt downcast that he had disappointed Ezlo, and that he was still a novice to him, but that part of him was dying. That part had been the naïve and 'good' Vaati who had wanted to please: the boy who had been stupid enough to believe he was going to get somewhere by waiting for Ezlo to do something. Vaati was done with that boy – he carried his own destiny now. He was no longer Vaati the apprentice sage, but Vaati the Sorcerer of Winds.

Vaati sneered. "This year, on the day that comes but once a century, the portal opens." He nonchalantly squeezed his fingers into a fist and slowly opened them until a small spark of energy began to condense in his hands. He chuckled in delight at the sight of wind energy raging madly in the palm of his hand, eager to be unleashed. Vaati watched Ezlo's eyes widen in shock as he began to realize what his apprentice planned to do, and the sorcerer nodded. "And when it does, I shall claim the light force as my own. I will be transformed, perfect, and there will be none who can stop me…"

Time seemed to stop for Ezlo as he stood, unable to do anything, as his apprentice swung his hand and sent a blast of magic towards him. Vaati's face was pulled back in a maniacal laugh, and the electric blue light from the dazzling sphere of energy cast eerie shadows over his face. What a monster he had turned into…

"GAAAAAA!!!"

A sheer white light that seemingly erupted out of him momentarily blinded Ezlo, and he could feel bits of his body changing. He would have flailed his arms, but they had gone numb. Like they were stuck to the sides of his body or something.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Tell me, how does it feel, my sorcerer's curse? There is nothing you can do to break it, Ezlo! Or to stop me! And with that, I must be leaving."

Ezlo tried to call after Vaati but the only sounds he heard were panicked squawking noises. Vaati laughed even more, and still with the mocking smile on his face he bowed once and disappeared in a flash of light.

A sheet of paper fluttered down from one of the shelves, cutting through the sudden silence that now pervaded the room. Ezlo sat there on the floor for several minutes, trying to take in everything that had happened. His mind had drawn a complete blank, struggling to comprehend what had happened.

Suddenly, he snapped out of his daze and attempted to run out of the room to find Vaati. _I have to find him, I have to! Before he hurts anyone – before he hurts himself!_ As he thrust himself forward, Ezlo lost his balance and fell flat onto his face. Surprised, he turned his neck which felt longer than it should have been, and looked down. What he saw made him squawk in horror. "Goddesses! What is this?!"

Ezlo was looking down a long, angled beak at a hat-like cloth that was what remained of his body. He stumbled and fell back down again in surprise, and it took him several minutes to get back up without the help of limbs. After a while, he figured out how to hop around to move from one place to the next. He struggled to get to the door and pushed it open by leaning against it with his head, and then earnestly hopped to the front entrance. It was slow progress, but he was determined to find Vaati.

The sage stopped halfway there, gasping for breath and resting from exertion. It was then he heard something terrifying drifting through the front doors: screams of distressed people.

_What in the world?_

A wrenching feeling twisted his gut as Ezlo began to hop to his destination once more as a ridiculous hat. He was afraid to go out because of what he expected to find but it was his responsibility to stop whatever it was Vaati planned to do.

Flinging himself against the door, Ezlo stumbled outside. _How ridiculous I must look now. _He hopped no more than a few paces outside when he stopped abruptly and felt like vomiting. The entire village was a mass of destruction, and dead bodies lay scattered with no discrimination. Mothers, fathers, children… everywhere he looked there were people dead or dying. Buildings were smoking with dust and rubble, and what had once been a horizon of smooth green waves was now jagged and brown. There used to be the sound of laughing children coming back from school – now there was the laugh from a broken soul in the midst of all the screams.

"Vaati!"

Ezlo hopped a couple of more times before he slumped to the ground in despair. Vaati was right – he couldn't do anything to stop him or even save anyone in this state. _Why did you keep me alive, Vaati? _

He could see that demon's face, jeering. That wasn't Vaati anymore. Vaati was dead. _Did I kill him?_ Ezlo lowered his head, his ears deaf to the world. Sitting by himself in the horrific din, the wilted, shabby green hat cried.

XXXXXXXXX

"Ah ha ha ha! Run all you want, fools! A pathetic race, the lot of you, groveling on your knees to serve. I'll end your miserable existence!"

Vaati laughed, and he sent a powerful vortex that swallowed everything in its path, hideously mangling anything it touched. Hovering in the air with his newfound powers, he looked down on the minish who had finally stopped begging for mercy and were now running for their lives. _Pathetic little insects._ He wanted to erase them all. He wanted to forget everything that would remind him of how he had once been one of _them_.

Then why had he let Ezlo live? Of all the people out there, wasn't he the one he wanted dead the most?

Ha, it wasn't out of compassion he had let that old fool live. No, he wanted him to suffer slowly. He wasn't about to let him die without getting him to acknowledge that he was capable of great and terrible things. He was going to make him see what he was going to do, and he was going to show him just how wrong he was.

_How dare he look at me that way._

All that stinking rag ever did was sleep and make him do all the work. He had no right calling him his apprentice when he never taught him anything worth learning. And look at how fast progress had been when Vaati had done everything himself! Yes, he was going to let Ezlo watch him become the god of the world.

Vaati absentmindedly shot a stray blast towards a minish couple that was running away. It exploded by their feet and they flew into the air, one colliding into a rock and the other skidding across the dirt. The one who had survived, a boy with red hair, groaned and began to drag himself with his arms as his legs had been shattered. The girl had mercifully been killed by the impact on the rock.

"Hmph." Vaati aimed another shot, but then hesitated when he saw the boy turn around to get a view of his attacker. With a flat expression, the boy turned his head momentarily to look at the dead girl, and then calmly stopped struggling as if to wait for his fate. He'd been so traumatized that he had become numb to emotions.

Changing his mind, Vaati stopped charging the energy sphere and instead warped in front of the boy. The redhead winced from being so close to his attacker, and then cautiously opened his eyes again to see Vaati staring at him with a funny look on his face. Neither of them spoke for a while, until finally the boy asked tragically, "Who are you, and why are you doing this to us?"

Vaati's face cracked and he laughed loudly for a long time. After he recovered, he said softly, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

The boy, just around twelve years old, cocked his head in confusion. Vaati continued.

"Come on, Delta, don't you remember me, the freak of nature? How could you forget?"

Delta stopped breathing. He finally recognized the voice even though it had become distorted by so much hate, and he recognized other small features of Vaati. His old friend looked so different now. "Vaati, stop this. Everything can go back the way it was. Let's talk it out."

Vaati snorted. "It's far too late for that. Besides, how many times did I try to talk to you and how many times did you try to listen?"

"I was waiting for you to set things straight again. You were making enemies left and right, Vaati, and you kept making things harder. I know I was wrong, too, but snap out of it Vaati, you don't have to do this."

Vaati made a fist and played with a spark dancing between his fingers. "You know, you and Ezlo both always made everything my fault. You didn't believe me or trust me either." He watched the spark with fascination. "Now look at you. Finally coming to your senses now that I'm the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Isn't it wonderful?"

"Vaati, you don't have to kill everyone."

"But I want to."

"What happened to you?! What is wrong with you, Vaati?!" Delta suddenly exclaimed in despair. "You think you're great? You think you're powerful? What a bunch of crap! You can't even face your own faults, and you think this can make up for your cowardice? Kari, Bentari… all those people were greater than you! Why? Why are you so… so stupid?!"

Vaati chuckled again and this time, the spark around his fingers grew until there was a ball of glowing energy. Delta became quiet as he watched the sphere crackle. Something about his rant seemed to have struck the sorcerer, because there was something tense about him now. Even so, Vaati managed to bow politely, albeit somewhat stiffly. "Last words?"

Delta looked down and tried to say something, but he had trouble speaking. Trying to keep his voice steady, he spoke hoarsely. "You were my best friend, you know…"

Vaati nodded as he unleashed the sphere that hit the crippled boy square in the chest and exploded into a cloud of debris. Once the dust settled, Vaati turned his back on the empty space. "Yes, he knows."

_Or rather, __**knew**__._

_That Vaati is dead._

The Sorcerer of Winds warped away, leaving his destruction and his past behind him.

* * *

fleets: Don't go away just yet! There's just one more chapter to finish it all off and I'll make my best effort to submit it as soon as I can ;)

**Victoria-BlackHeart:** And there's no turning back.

**Reily96: **Wow I think I might have gone overboard in 'jerk Vaati' this time though O.o

**Death-Note-Zelda-Kitty: **Things will never be the same again

**Shadow Blues: **Erk, school is just like an ex. You start missing it when you're separated and then you realize why you didn't like it after a few days of it. :/

**DarkLinkvsRaineSagefan101: **Thank you :) Yeah, no more innocent Vaati now, ey?

**marium: **Thanks - I try to keep it close to what the games were like

**PrincessZelda777: **Thanks! Your review was really helpful. As for Vaati, I imagined he wasn't super evil to begin with. Then I needed to find a way to make my interpretation make sense O.o

**Nick the reaper: **He is indeed a kickass villain. :D

**Darkwind: **I actually went and looked up higurashi :D thanks, I'm having fun doing the visual version of my old stories :)


	19. Concluding Words

fleets: I'm not sure I really count this as a chapter because it's just so short, but I wanted to close this story with a word from Vaati :)

Once again with the Linkin Park theme. Lyrics belong to them, not me.

* * *

**Chapter 19: Concluding Words**

High up on a cliff top, a sorcerer surveyed a small village at the foot of the mountain. It was out in the country, a little ways away from castle town, Hyrule. There was a pleasant breeze that was slightly nippy from the approaching winter, and he could see the villagers had begun to gather piles of logs to prepare for the coming cold. Vaati stretched, and then tilted his head when he saw a four-leaf-clover hiding between the grasses by his feet. Kneeling down, he picked it up and twirled it between his fingers before he let go and watched it flutter down to the ground.

This place was nothing like the Palace of Winds, but it had its nice points. It was quiet and peaceful in a homey way. He liked to come here to think about things, and recently he had taken to thinking.

He sometimes envied the little creatures that had nothing to think about.

XXXXXXXX

What good does thinking do me anyway, when all it results in is an hour of frustration and another hour of realizing how pitiful my dilemmas are? They aren't even dilemmas to begin with, but I manage to turn even the simplest questions into headaches. I must be bored.

What a trip down the memory lane that was. I'm surprised I even remembered that much, considering I had worked so hard to forget about my past.

Delta. I haven't even thought about that name in so long – it holds little significance to me now. What a fool he was. Did he really believe I was not the greatest, most powerful being on the face of the earth when I last confronted him? Pity I couldn't get him to see his mistake. Same with Ezlo, too. Fools, the both of them. Neither of them recognized greatness when they saw it. They deserved their fates, the bastards.

Looking at my life subjectively I know why I was after ultimate power. Why I'm still after ultimate power. Those people who couldn't see how great I had become – Delta, Ezlo – they were right in some respects. I could go farther. I have it in my ability to be what no mortal ever dared to be, and then I would be the greatest god who ever lived. No one would ever oppose me, and I would do whatever I liked.

Ugh, what a sour taste in my mouth. I refuse to believe I was ever so… so bloody innocent. I just might throw up. So damn cute and happy with his idiot friend. Stupid Vaati.

And how stupid he was. If he actually wanted to keep everything his own bloody happy way he could have avoided it by not being so stubborn about everything. He knows that. He committed suicide.

And I feel no remorse for him.

Because see, without him, I wouldn't have been able to be as great as I am now. Without him I wouldn't exist, as a matter of fact. In my stead there would have been some miserable boy with his miserable existence, following the orders of his miserable master and feeling depressed because of his miserable friend. What a miserable prospect. Ezlo didn't even notice me until I'd become a sorcerer. He never listened, and neither did Delta. Vaati actually became somebody when he died that day.

Vaati today has greater goals. I am the Sorcerer of Winds and the most powerful sorcerer who's ever lived. I strive for ultimate power – a glorious goal. Link and all his incarnations keep thwarting me, but one of these days I'm bound to succeed. When it comes to perseverance, I _will_ prevail.

Yes, I will continue to search for the Golden Power. Though there have been times I began to doubt myself, I know now this is the way it should be. Alone I will be great. I will be powerful.

None will stand in my way.

…

What's this? A band of Bokoblins daring to trespass after I'd warned them about what consequences they would face if they wandered here? What a thick-skulled lot. I'll have to remind them whom they'll have to deal with if they don't heed my advice.

I will make them fear the wrath of the Sorcerer of Winds.

XXXXXXXXX

_I don't know who to trust, no surprise  
Everyone feels so far away from me  
Heavy thoughts sift through dust and the lies_

_Trying not to break  
But I'm so tired of this deceit  
__Every time I try to make myself  
Get back up on my feet_

_All I ever think about is this  
All the tiring time between  
And how trying to put my trust in you  
Just takes so much out of me_

_Take everything from the inside  
And throw it all away  
'Cause I swear for the last time  
I won't trust myself with you_

_Tension is building inside, steadily  
Everyone feels so far away from me  
Heavy thoughts forcing their way out of me_

_Trying not to break  
But I'm so tired of this deceit  
__Every time I try to make myself  
Get back up on my feet_

_All I ever think about is this  
All the tiring time between  
And how trying to put my trust in you  
Just takes so much out of me_

_Take everything from the inside  
And throw it all away  
'Cause I swear for the last time  
I won't trust myself with you_

_I won't waste myself on you  
You, you  
Waste myself on you  
You, you_

_I'll take everything from the inside  
And throw it all away  
'Cause I swear for the last time  
I won't trust myself with you_

_

* * *

_

fleets: That's it! Complete! For those of you who've read my other story The Unresolved, you might have noticed how this story leaves off where it picks up. Yes, Vaati's at Ruso. Yes, Vaati's gone power crazy once again after it seemed like he won't be the bad guy anymore after Beyond Centuries. Just a little cookie for readers.

Readers - thank you all very much once again for the wonderful support you've given me. Knowing that people are actually reading my stuff is what ultimately keeps me going. :)  
Now that I am done with Tainted Heart, I will shift my focus back to my neglected story Recollections. It might take some time for me to get back into writing that one because it's been too long. I believe that story will be the story that will mercifully end everything for me for some time. I need a break XD

**Shadow Blues: **Thanks so much for the support since chapter 1. I hope you liked the story to the end (I don't think I will go into Minish Cap for this story arc). It's a little sad this is over, but that also means I get to start working on the story I'd kinda left hanging. :)

**Death-Note-Zelda-Kitty: **Yes, school isn't very fun with all the work. I hope you enjoyed my stories so far. Thank you for your kind support. :)

**James Birdsong: **:D

**Reily96: **You're right. I always end up liking villains, even OC ones, and I have the tendency to start seeing them in a not-so-bad light. After a while, I begin to realize just how wrong I was. xD Hey, thanks for all the encouragement you gave me both here and on devart. 'preciate it.

**marium: **I don't know about other stories as of yet, but I plan to revive my other story that I kinda left for dead. While I was working on this one, I just didn't have the time to update my other one. We'll see. ^^

**Sue Axel: **I LOVE BROWNIES. Hehe, it's ok Link, I'll share. I agree, I prefer Vaati as the sorcerer even though he's um... well... evil. Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed this. :)

**DarkLinkvsRaineSagefan101: **That chapter was sad to write as well. Glad to hear you liked it though, and thanks for being a fan :D


	20. Preview: possible future story?

fleets: ehehe, I always include one of these teaser things at the end of my stories so, yeah. XP  
I have no idea what this will be about, or if I'm going to go through with it at all. It's another one of my random ideas.

There will be foul language in this one. ;)

Quick facts -  
fandom: Legend of Zelda (surprise)  
characters: Vaati (omg really?! insert really sarcastic voice here), Link, Zelda, pending  
AU

oh and also, I'll probably be submitting a character sheet for this teaser on devart soon ;)

* * *

Setting: Year 2010. Ariko, New Jersey

Hey, I'm Gale Engst. Oh, don't look so surprised, it's a guy's name all right. Fuck off if you've got a problem with it. Or are you shocked to find out that I'm actually, holy shit, a guy? I heard that one so many times, you better watch your mouth or you'll find yourself without one. Apparently my parents were too lazy to come up with a different name depending on whether I was a girl or guy so they chose 'Gale.' They couldn't even choose something normal like Alex.

I'm not your average sixteen-year-old emo kid from middle class white suburban New Jersey. You know why? I'm one of those weird vampire guys who can't walk around in the light of day without wearing 50 sps sunscreen, an oversized hat, and long sleeves in the middle of god fucking summer. Yeah, that's right. I'm one of those albino guys. Red eyes, white hair, pale skin that's slightly bluish even. And I don't care what you all say, I see you wince when I walk near you and I notice you talk to me like I have a disease. Whatever.

Ignoring the fact that I'm some frickin' red-eyed freak, I've lived a pretty normal life. Yeah, yeah, let's ignore the fact that I have special permission to skip outdoor PE class and I carry around a bottle of sunscreen for good measure. I go to Irdon Private highschool and tutor students in chemistry for cash. I know, you must be surprised I'm doing something academic instead of going off and drinking booze. Stereotypes. Actually, I don't enjoy tutoring but I need the money and I don't mind chemistry. I'm actually pretty good at it, and I bet I could beat all those snot nosed preps if I wanted to. I simply don't see the point in doing school work and playing puppy dog for those bastards who call themselves teachers. In school I'm a loner. No one bothers me, I don't bother them. I think it works out nicely. Oh, and, when I said 'normal'? I meant normal for an emo albino high school guy in affluent suburban New Jersey.

One day, though, some crazy new guy named Malenko "Link" Petrov started ranting about a batshit dream he had about how the world was going to be flooded and almost all of humanity was going to be sunk underwater soon. What the fuck. I think he's part Russian or something. See, this is what media panic about global warming does to some of these poor wackos. They sure forgot about the crazies in "An Inconvenient Truth."

You know what's even better? He swears to Farore that I'm the only one who could help him save the earth. He also says I'm actually not Gale Engst but a reincarnation of some power crazy sorcerer named Vaati. Who let this guy out of the asylum?

I need to find a way to get this Petrov guy away from me and into a mental institution before I go crazy myself.


End file.
